The Weakest Link
by BloodFromTheThorn
Summary: He should have been more careful. He knew it. Bruce had told him. But it didn't change the fact that the great Tony Stark was in serious trouble. No slash, post-movie. Minor spoilers. Very slight Tony/Pepper. Clint/Nat. Warnings for swears.
1. Chapter 1

Tony didn't see it coming. Thinking back, he really should have done. Things had been going so well; they hadn't had any problems for months. And things _always_ went wrong.

Still, it didn't normally go to hell quite this drastically.

**..**

It was a regular day. There was a meeting on board the helicarrier: nothing major to be worried about. Fury insisted on giving them briefings every now and then to keep them all in contact. Tony had a theory that he only called the meetings because he felt left out of the little get-togethers the team had every weekend or so.

After the whole Manhattan fiasco, the team had gelled in a way none of them would expect. Tony and Bruce were thick as thieves; Banner had moved into Stark Tower at the billionaire's insistence, something along the lines of: "I have much better labs than you'll get in Mumbai, or wherever you're planning on running off to, so don't even think about it Hulky!" Thor and Steve had developed a strange connection, probably borne out of the fact that they were both strangers to this world; Steve was out of his time and Thor... Well, he was just in the wrong dimension. Clint had finally manned up and asked Natasha out on a date (which may have ended up with them both running for their lives from a manic scientist with a grudge against S.H.I.E.L.D – Clint was still apologising) and they now seemed to actually be in a relatively stable relationship. The rest of the team was secretly thrilled for them.

For once in his life, Tony really knew what he was meant to do. And more than that, he loved every minute of it. Well, almost every minute.

The meeting was dragging, and it was all Tony could do to stop himself from marching out the room to try the new algorithm he had been devising since he sat down. He thought he might have found a way to massively boost the power output of the arc reactor without frying himself, and he desperately wanted to try it out.

"Stark, are you even listening?" Fury's irritated voice cut through his complicated mental calculations and for a moment he just blinked at the one eyed man who was his sort of boss.

"Err, of course." He took a glance at the screens behind the director, trying to work out what they had been discussing. He came up blank. "It all sounds... Very... Interesting?" He tried to pull off an innocent smile, but Fury saw right through it and glared harder.

"Do you have anything to add to the conversation?"

"Umm... not really. More of a listener, me." Steve sniggered from across the table and Stark shot him a death glare. The soldier ignored him.

"Care to tell us what you were actually thinking about?" The director shot at him with a sigh, used to Stark's short attention span. The only time he ever saw the man concentrate was when he was in his lab or in his suit.

"Unless you lot all want a speech on the finer points of quantum physics, I can guarantee you won't be interested." Stark responded with a shrug. Banner gave him an interested look, but for the most part the others looked blank. "I'm trying to find a way of increasing the amount of power I can get to the suit from this thing," he tapped the glowing circle on his shirt.

"I thought the last time you tried that you almost blew yourself up?" Natasha questioned, sounding a little too gleeful at that prospect than Tony was really comfortable with.

"I may have done. But I got a lot of data from that. I have a better idea on what variables to expect now," he replied with a shrug. He looked at Bruce and caught the man with a calculating look on his face before he noticed the scrutiny and smiled. "I was hoping you could help me. My knowledge of what to expect biologically is woefully limited." He produced a faux expression of heartbreak and the irradiated doctor nodded in agreement with a grin.

"That's true," he replied, much to Clint's amusement, who tried to cover his snort with a cough. Needless to say, he was unsuccessful. Tony just sent a glare at them both.

Fury was watching the billionaire with interest, partly intrigued as to how he could increase his powers as Ironman and partly amused by his interactions with the team. He had originally assumed that he would be the odd one out of the group, their weak link, but in fact he appeared to be the opposite. His easygoing, boyish nature seemed to balance out the drama and the carnage quite well.

"Well," he said after a moment. "You may as well go and get working on that, seeing as you're not going to listen to me either way. All of you, dismissed." The team rose, snickering as Tony shot towards the door and was down the corridor before most of them were on their feet. Banner followed after him with a fond sigh and a shake of his head. Curious, Thor went after them both.

Steve and Fury wandered off, discussing something about tactics and evil supervillains that to the rest of the world seemed incomprehensible. Clint caught Natasha in an embrace before she could leave, planting a kiss on her forehead. She smiled at him, wrapping her arms around him and pulling herself closer.

"Chances on Stark blowing himself to bits?" She offered with a wicked grin. He smirked.

"With Banner around, not as high as I'd like." They were joking of course, but the billionaire had somehow become the centre of all ribbing the team could produce. Tasha chuckled, pulling him towards the door.

"We'd better go and increase them then."

When the pair reached the lab Thor and Banner were stood off to one side watching Stark dash around the lab like a mad man. Tony had insisted that the labs given to him and Bruce when they had first arrived be left for them even in their absence, so that in instances like this he didn't have to return to the tower to start tinkering.

"I thought you were meant to be helping," Clint muttered to Banner as they joined them. Stark remained oblivious to their presence, focussed so entirely on his work. From the multitude of screens he had supplying him data the assassin was frankly impressed he was able to keep up with it all.

"I thought that for now it was best to just stay out of the way," he replied, just as Stark tossed something over his shoulder that shattered on the floor, muttering something about giving out the wrong frequency.

"Probably wise," Tasha put in as something else went flying. Stark and invention tended to lead to utter disarray.

"Aha!" Came a sudden shout and Tony lifted a glowing arc reactor into the air, showing the others.

"That was quick," Banner said, coming forwards, skirting around the debris on the floor.

"The upgrades aren't too complicated, just a little bit... sensitive. I had to cannibalise parts from some of the spare reactors I had on the ship, but I think it should work out." He shrugged as though this couldn't potentially kill him. Bruce just glared at him in disbelief before taking the reactor from him and running a few tests of his own.

From what he could tell, the device would give out massive amounts of electrical energy without the huge surges of heat the last prototype had introduced Tony to. It seemed safe enough so he gave the device back to the billionaire.

"Just... Be careful." Tony smirked at him, looking completely calm.

"Aren't I always?"

"If Pepper were here, she'd slap you for that remark," Bruce observed, finding he sort of liked that mental image. Tasha snorted.

"Good thing she isn't here then," he replied scowling.

"I'm more than happy to fill her role," Natasha volunteered, stepping forwards hopefully. Tony backed off rapidly, wary of the approaching assassin.

"Actually, I think we'll be alright thanks!" He dashed behind a desk. Clint wasn't even bothering to conceal his amusement and even Thor looked like he was trying not to laugh. "You all suck," Tony griped to himself.

Putting the prototype on the desk in front of him, he began to unbutton his shirt, revealing the glowing reactor lodged in his chest. He still found it strange looking down and seeing the blue circle embedded in his chest even if it no longer alarmed him as much as it once had. Bruce had moved closer, ready to intervene if this went wrong. Stark was mildly touched at the concern the doctor showed when he put his life on the line to test his theories. No matter how many times he explained that it wasn't like he had access to other willing volunteers or even past experience to draw from, Bruce was still determined that there must be a safer way.

"Ready?"

"For what exactly?" Banner replied sardonically. Tony just chuckled.

With practised ease he removed the arc reactor from his chest, switching out the old and implanting the new one as soon as he could. Once it was safely in place, he looked up at Bruce as though the doctor knew what to do now.

"So?" Bruce said after a second of silence.

"Well... I don't know. It doesn't feel any different." He shrugged carefully, feeling as though he had just strapped a bomb to his chest. Maybe this wasn't the best idea.

"Should it?"

"If it works like it's supposed to... no. Not until I put on my suit."

"And if it doesn't work?" Tasha was watching him warily as though she half expected him to spontaneously combust.

"Last time it started to feel really warm straight away. But it could present in other ways I suppose. Right now, it doesn't hurt, and I'm still alive. I'm calling this a win." He smiled at the others, who were still watching him like a time bomb. "Seriously, I'm alright."

"Maybe you should wait a while before trying the suit," Banner suggested. Tony grimaced. He knew it was the logical course of action, but he was like a kid on Christmas with a new toy. He wanted to try it _now._

"But we won't know if it works until we try it," he argued. "I could sit around forever waiting to see if it blows me up."

"You said it yourself, any problems could manifest in a number of different ways. Give it an hour, that's all I'm saying." He looked at Tony pleadingly and the billionaire found he couldn't resist the puppy dog eyes. They reminded him too much of Pepper when she was asking him to be careful.

"Doctor's orders?" He smirked. Bruce smiled back, knowing he had won the argument.

"You bet your ass."

**..**

The avengers were gathered in a rough semi circle around Stark's suit. He was staring at it longingly whilst Banner ran some quick checks to make sure Tony wasn't about to drop dead: heart rate, temperature, blood pressure.

"I'm fine Hulky. Let me fly," Tony whined, trying to pull away. Banner glared.

"Thor has already told you that he's not going to catch your ass if you fall, meaning you need to stay conscious. Forgive me for trying to make sure you don't _die. _And don't call me Hulky." He snapped irritably. The others chuckled softly but said nothing. They had grown used to the strange banter between the two and for the most part they ignored it.

"You love it. Are we done?"

"Fine, go kill yourself," Bruce sighed, withdrawing. "Just don't expect tears at the funeral," he warned. Tony laughed, walking to his suit and activating the machine to put it on him.

As the last piece slid into place, the team collectively held their breath, not really having any idea what to expect. Tony for his part could feel his heart racing. He started imagining heat radiating from the reactor, but he knew it was still as cool as ever.

"How do you feel?" Banner looked concerned but didn't approach.

"I... Don't really feel any different . No unbearable heat. That's good right?"

"You're asking us? It's your machine," Clint replied, sounding mildly exasperated. Tony shrugged at him.

"It's not like I've done this before either. This is sort of uncharted territory." He let his mask slip into place and tentatively told the systems to activate. Without hesitation the suit came to life around him with slight whooshing sounds as the hydraulics turned on, and a brief flash of light as the screen in front of him lit up.

"How about now?" Tasha asked looking more interested and less concerned than the others. He smiled at that.

"Power at over three hundred percent sir," Jarvis' automated voice informed him, effectively answering the assassin. "All systems are fully functioning."

"Thanks Jarvis," Stark replied, breathing out a relieved sigh. "I think... It might actually be alright." He laughed aloud, relief flooding through him in a rush until he felt weak at the knees. With a start he realised he hadn't actually expected this to work. Maybe Pepper was right and he had no concern for his own life.

"Are you going for a flight then?" Banner asked, still looking unsure.

"I might as well try it. I've gotten this far. Jarvis, are all flight systems online?"

"Ready and waiting, sir."

He hesitated only for a second before letting his instinct take over and launching himself into the air. He hovered above the team for a moment, just making sure before twisting and whizzing towards the bay doors at the end of the hangar. They groaned open at his approach, just wide enough for him to slip through and then slamming shut behind him.

Out of the cover of the helicarrier the wind was far stronger than he had anticipated. It blasted him sideways, and for a moment he floundered, falling as he struggled to readjust his stabilisers.

"Having problems out there?" Clint sounded suspiciously like he was laughing. The others had told him that they would watch him from the observation desk and they had obviously felt the need to steal some communicators.

"I'm fine, thanks," he snapped back, finally correcting his calculations and coming to a standstill. It was strange, the theory of the flight was the same, but his calculations were way off. His thrusters were so much more powerful now that it was almost as bad as starting from scratch.

"How's the reactor holding up?" That sounded like Bruce.

"I'm not on fire. It's strange – I definitely have more power than before." He showed off for a moment, whizzing round almost too fast for the eye to follow.

"Impressive," Thor admitted in his deep voice. The demi-god was a man of few words, and fewer still were compliments. Tony took it as a high honour to be praised.

They spent the next few minutes like that, Tony playing with different functions on his suit and relaying any information gathered to the team. Bruce had somehow hooked up a computer to the sensors in his suit and could monitor his vitals remotely, and had taken to commenting on any fluctuations, quietly moaning at Stark for deciding to go for a test flight miles above the ground.

"As fun as this appears to be..." Came Fury's voice through their communicators. All of them jumped, and Tony had to react quickly to stop himself falling out of the sky. "I'm going to have to call this meeting short. We have a job for you. On the outskirts of New York there's a... _beast. _I'll send you the coordinates but you all have to go. Now."

"Beast?" Tony asked in confusion as the others scattered to gather their weapons.

"That's all I know." The director sounded worried. "Your mission is to take it down, and if possible find out where it came from. For now the damage is limited, but reports say that it's heading into the city."

"Hawk, you're flying the others in, right?"

"Yeah, I'm heading to the jet bay now." He sounded like he was running.

"I'm faster in the suit. I'll go ahead, try and work out what it is we're dealing with here."

"No!" Banner yelled at him, and Tony jumped again. "You need to switch out your reactor!" There was worry filling his voice and Stark was once again touched by the affection behind it.

"I'll be fine. I'd have to test this one at some stage anyway. There isn't time for me to come back in. I'll see you in a few." With that he twisted and sped away, not waiting for a response. Behind him, the entire team froze for a second, staring at each other in the realisation that one of their team members could be in serious trouble.

**..**

_I hope you like the start :) This should only be two or three chapters, and they should be coming out fairly rapidly. I think :S Tell me what you thought :D_


	2. Chapter 2

_Wow. Just wow, guys. You're all awesome. You broke my inbox with all the reviews and favourites and alerts. Thank you :)_

_Thought I should say, I haven't seen Captain America, nor have I read any of the comments so sorry if I say anything that doesn't make sense._

_I know this is a little later than promised, sorry about that._

**..**

"Why can't you ever do as you're told?" Tony decided that Bruce sounded more annoyed than the situation warranted.

"Sorry _mother_," he replied, letting his humorous irritation show in his voice. "I was busy trying to save the world." He thought he heard Banner scoff and he chuckled quietly. From the rooftop he was perched on he had a good view of the destruction the beast had caused whilst remaining out of sight.

The being itself was easily twelve feet tall, with horns protruding out from under a thick metal helmet. It was vaguely humanoid, but its torso was covered in what appeared to be scales and though its legs were short, they were as thick as trees. Combined with the layers of muscle that wrapped around its arms, the creature looked _tough. _Tony thought it resembled a troll somewhat. He had had Jarvis running remote scans to try and determine how much force would be required to break through the protection and take down the beast. So far, there had been little success.

"What are we dealing with Stark?" The plan was that Natasha would stay in the jet and control the machine gun, whilst the others would do what they could from the ground.

"I'm not really sure. It's going to take a lot of fire power to take this thing down."

"We can do that," Clint supplied, giving Tony a strong impression that he was smirking.

"Wait till you see it," the billionaire warned half heartedly. "How far out are you guys?"

"Another few minutes. _Stay where you are," _the assassin warned, long since used to Stark's inability to wait for any meaningful length of time.

"Ughh, you guys just like killing my fun, don't you?" He griped. If he was being honest, he really didn't want to have to go up against the troll alone, but they others didn't need to know that.

He heard the jet before he saw it, and suddenly his team members were beside him, taking in the damage in silence. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Steve's jaw clench convulsively. Nothing hit the soldier harder than the thought of innocents being harmed, ever the gentleman that he was.

"Plan of attack?" Tony threw at the captain, keeping his voice low to try and remain hidden from the beast. From what he had worked out, it had the hearing of a bat.

"Attack," he replied grimly, but with a soft smile. Stark remembered the exchange, and stole a look at Thor who stood firm at his side. How far they had come since then. "Clint you stay here, try and find weak spots we can aim for. Thor, you're pretty much indestructible, so you and Banner go at it head on. If you can't get past its defences, at least you can keep it distracted."

"You're making us targets? Remind me to get a new job," Bruce muttered. Stark chuckled only to receive a glare from the captain.

"What?" He tried to go for innocence. Steve shook his head as though he was very disappointed in him, but said nothing. Tony had realised early on that the captain had a knack for making you feel small, but he'd never quite found a way to avoid it. He squirmed uncomfortably.

"Stark, you're going to try and get through that armour. Whatever you've got, just get us an opening."

They all nodded. No one quite knew how, but Steve had become their unofficial leader, not that any of them minded. With their different skills and personalities they needed someone who could organise them into the powerful force they needed to be.

Without further comment, Tony jumped into the air, giving himself over to his instincts. The beast swivelled around at the noise, tiny black eyes focussing directly on him. It was a little... disconcerting. With a gulp, he threw himself forwards.

**..**

"We can't keep this up. We have to finish this, _now,"_ Stark pointed out, picking himself up for the hundredth time. Whatever the troll was, it could certainly pack a punch. Even through his armour he was bruised and battered. The creatures scales were nigh on impenetrable, no matter how much fire power Tony threw at the thing – and his new reactor was pumping out power like he'd never known. Hulk's punches glanced right of the beast and it seemed thoroughly unaware of Mjolnir's blows.

The team was faring less well. Clint was almost out of arrows, Steve and Thor were both tiring and Tony was having to cope with a significant amount of pain. If Banner's alter-ego was having problems, Stark wasn't really able to tell.

"If you have any ideas, please share with the class!" Steve was breathing hard, his movements sluggish and weary. Soon enough, this was going to end in disaster.

"I'm thinking!" He snapped back, having to twist violently mid-air to avoid a boulder-sized fist. The swing clipped his leg however and the thrusters on his feet swerved to the side, sending him hard into the pavement. He lay there for a moment, completely stunned with stars flashing in front of his eyes. Above him the creature was growling and he rolled over in time to see it raise an enormous foot and stamp down, _hard. _The air was crushed out of him as he took the weight, and he felt a rib snap; His suit was strong, but it wasn't designed for this kind of abuse.

The others were shouting, and suddenly a flash of green flew over him and crashed into the creature's chest. The troll reeled backwards, taking the weight off Tony who gasped in relief. There was a pain flaring down his left side, but he tried to ignore it, focussing on getting himself back into the air. Someone was next to him, helping him up and in a vague sense he recognised the red of Thor's cape.

It was at that moment a sudden thought struck him. Even with his current power levels, he couldn't cut through the scales. But, he wasn't completely limited by the reactor in his chest. A smile overtook him as he jumped back into the air to find a suitable vantage point for this to work. He hoped that the Hulk could keep the beast distracted for a little while longer.

"I have an idea. I can get through the scales," he announced. From where he was, he could see Steve look towards him sharply.

"I thought you said they were too strong?"

"They are. But not if I had more power." Stark took the silence as meaning the others were not following him. "Thor, I need your help. Charge me up," he ordered, and then watched as the demi-god smiled in understanding.

"_No, _Stark." He hadn't expected Clint to have an issue with this.

"Why not?"

"If what Bruce said before is right, that thing in your chest is very close to frying your heart. I hardly think increasing its power is safe." Tony just blinked at him for a moment, stunned at how quickly he had made the leap. It was of course a risk, but then again so was fighting a strange space troll. He said as much to the others and Clint just scoffed.

"I still think it's a bad idea. Let it be noted, I did _not _agree to this."

"Fine. It's noted. Thor, _charge me up_." The demi-god didn't hesitate, just thrust his hammer towards the sky and waited. Clouds flooded the sky above them, and the hairs on Tony's neck rose at the electricity buzzing in the air. Lighting knifed down and engulfed Thor in a great elemental display of power. Having dispensed with the Hulk momentarily, even the creature stopped to watch what was going on.

He knew it was going to hurt – he was prepared. But when the lightning hit him, it took Stark half a second to control the natural urge to scream his guts out. Fire raced through him, and he channelled it down his arms to the thrusters on his palms. With a burst of energy that could have powered his entire tower for a week, his thrusters powered and shot a blast of heat at the creature. It hit it square on the chest, burrowing right through the armour plating and burying itself in the beast's chest.

Tony would never really be sure what happened then. The force of releasing the blast had sent him flying backwards, smashing him through a brick wall and leaving him sprawled on the floor. There was a moment where he couldn't feel anything beyond a slight ringing in his ears and he realised that something must be wrong. In his confusion it took him a minute to place the anomaly.

It was with a flood of inhuman terror he realised that the fire wasn't gone. The energy Thor had given him hadn't completely been expelled, and his suit couldn't deal with the excess. His palms were burning up under the intense heat and it was only under a combination of reflex and fear that he was able to rip off his gauntlets and cast them away.

There was something wrong with the reactor too. The light from it had turned a bright white and was shining like a beacon flashing in coordination with the intense waves of heat that were radiating through his chest.

He might have been shouting, screaming, _pleading _but he couldn't really be sure. He couldn't see, couldn't hear, and oh _god _it hurt. The terror was the final thing he felt before darkness overcame him and he passed out.

**..**

"Tony!" Steve was running before the creature had even hit the floor. As predicted the blast from the suit had gone straight through the armour and the beast had died almost instantly, but the captain didn't really care. Stark had been flung backwards and hadn't reappeared. He leapt through the hole in the wall just as the billionaire started shouting.

Stark was flat on his back, writhing in apparent agony. His gauntlets were laying next to him, revealing heavily burned hands, the wounds extending up his lower arm. The circle of light in his chest was pulsing and Steve had to shield his eyes momentarily against the glare.

"Natasha, get that jet down here, right now!" He screamed into his communicator as he rushed to Tony's side. His hands flitted uselessly over him, having absolutely no idea what to do. By the way Stark clawed at his chest something was very wrong with the arc reactor, but that didn't help Steve at all; it wasn't like he could just rip the thing out. He knew enough about the technology to know it was the only thing keeping the billionaire alive. "Where's Banner? He knows more about this tech than I do."

"Thor's helping him now. He's human. Just a little disorientated." Clint's voice was right next to him and he turned to see the assassin stood a few feet away, staring at Tony like he had seen a ghost. "What do we do?"

"You think _I _have any idea?" Steve looked up at him with desperation. Tony was still rolling around, moaning pitifully. Then all of a sudden, he went still. The two avengers dropped to his side, panic rolling off them in waves as Clint fought to remove the helmet. Once it was released the offending piece of armour was thrown to the side with more force than was really necessary.

"He's breathing," the archer confirmed after a tense moment. "But not for long I would guess. Where the hell is Bruce?" It was rare to see any of the team this worried.

"I'm right here," came his voice, followed immediately by the man himself as he strode over the rubble and broken glass barefoot, not even noticing that it should be tearing his feet to shreds. Being the Hulk had some advantages. He was missing his shirt and shoes, but S.H.I.E.L.D had designed some trousers* that stretched when he changed. Why they couldn't make an entire outfit was beyond him.

"What do we do?" Clint repeated, aiming the question at the doctor as he moved out the way to clear a path for him.

"We get him back to the helicarrier. He needs a new reactor by the look of it. I think. Tony never really explained how it works. I have no idea what to do," he despaired, looking at his friend who had turned paper white and was still flinching and shifting even in unconsciousness.

"I'm on the roof," came Natasha's voice over the communicators. "I can't get any closer thanks to the debris." She sounded stressed, and Bruce was surprised at the concern there. He hadn't thought that the beautiful assassin had really cared for the easy going billionaire, but he could have been wrong.

"We'll bring him to you." Steve informed her, motioning to Thor for help lifting him. Tony was in shape, but he was wearing a metal suit. On that train of thought...

"Clint, help me get his pieces of armour. We can't leave them here." The archer rushed off in search of the helmet as Banner ducked to retrieve the gauntlets.

'_Let him be OK. Whoever can hear me,' _he thought, _'just let him be alright.'_

**..**

_I didn't like the beginning segment of this chapter. It was just a sort of filler. So sorry about that bit :/_

_*Pants, for all Americans ;)_

_I sort of went under the assumption that this suit was like the Mark II in that it came apart into component pieces. It worked better :)_


	3. Chapter 3

"We're two minutes out. How is he?" Natasha couldn't take her eyes off the view in front of her as she expertly flew the jet, but anyone could feel the tension rolling off her in waves.

"Not good. Any chance we can cut that time down?" Bruce sounded worse. As a doctor you would have thought him used to situations like this, but it would seem that nothing can really prepare you for the sight of your best friend moaning in agony. He couldn't really tell if Tony was conscious or not, but either way he was completely unaware of his surroundings.

"I'm giving it all we've got," she said, her voice torn with frustration. She was gripping the controls so hard that she was a little worried her fingers would never resume their original shape, but she was stressed and something had to suffer.

"We have to take the reactor out," the Captain announced, observing his fallen comrade with sadness. He cut Bruce off before he could respond. "He can survive without it for up to roughly four minutes* and that gives us time to replace it with the old. Besides, look at him!" He gestured to the man lying prone on the floor of the jet. "It's hurting him."

And Bruce had no argument. The billionaire was clawing at his chest with burnt hands and the reactor was letting off enough heat that the doctor could feel it from where he was sat. After a second of trying to think this through, he nodded at the captain.

"Help me take off the chest plate," he instructed Thor, who reached down and pulled the metal off with the ease of a knife through butter. Sometimes, the strength of the god was a little scary. Tearing Tony's shirt open the doctor smoothly twisted the reactor until it clicked free and he carefully removed it. He barely had time to register that he had just started a stop clock on his best friend's life before he had to drop the glowing blue machine.

The heat coming off the circle of metal was phenomenal, and any fool could tell that it must have been doing serious harm to Tony. With that in mind he leant over the billionaire, checking his pulse and breathing rate as well as lamenting the fact that for now he couldn't do anything to help.

"Ok, we're coming in now. There should be a medical team waiting for us," Natasha informed them softly.

"I'll go to his lab and get the other reactor," Clint offered, having stayed practically silent since boarding the jet. "Meet you in the medical bay?" Banner nodded at him.

"The rest of us need to brief Fury. He's going to be angry." Steve looked grim.

"We're here," the assassin announced, as the jet jolted to a stop. Within moments the small space was flooded by men and women in white jackets and sterile gloves all shouting instructions. Without further comment the Avengers split up, each heading to complete their given task.

**..**

"Care to tell me what the _hell _happened out there?" Fury's voice was deadly quiet and he glared at the three Avengers in front of him. Steve ducked his head, but Natasha remained unmoved, her face pinched and her lips pressed tightly together. She looked like she was one sharp comment away from punching someone. Thor for his part was pacing silently, glaring daggers at anything that fell within his line of sight.

"Director..." Steve began before he realised that he had nothing to say. What _had _happened? Tony had been a foolish jackass, but with the billionaire that went without saying. The team had tried to tell him to change his reactor and he had ignored them. It should never have happened, but it had, and looking back, what else could they have done? "The monster is dead. The teams on the ground are sorting out the aftermath as well as organising crowd control. So far as we can tell there weren't too many casualties."

"And Stark?" The irate master spy demanded.

"A fault with his reactor. From what I could tell, it seemed to be overloading." In truth, he hadn't the faintest idea what it had been doing but that's what it had looked like, and since Nat and Thor seemed content to let him do the talking, it would have to do.

"Prognosis?" Steve wondered for a moment how a human being could sound so unfeeling about whether a man – someone he knew, if not liked – would live or die. His disgust filled his throat and he found himself unable to speak. Thankfully, Natasha jumped in to fill the gap.

"We don't know Director. We left him with Banner and Barton, and we were planning on heading down to the medical bay once we were finished here." It was clear from her tone that she was hoping that would be soon. For a moment, Fury just looked at them, a calculating glow in his eye. He sighed softly then nodded slowly.

"Dismissed. Keep me informed of his condition." They all leapt for the door before Fury could say anything else.

**..**

"You know, he probably won't be waking up for a while yet. You might want to get some shut eye yourselves," Banner told the rest of the team that hovered around Tony's bedside. Every one of them looked exhausted, but no one made a move to leave.

"Right after you Doctor," Steve muttered, as close to sarcasm as the soldier ever got. The unconscious billionaire would have been proud. Bruce scowled at him, but made no further comment. He knew that they wanted to be here just as much as he did.

For the moment, Tony was stable. With the old reactor back in place Stark had fallen deeply unconscious, no longer disturbed by the fiery tendrils of pain. The main issue had stemmed from the fact that the new reactor had leaked the plasmic discharge from the device into his blood stream, and though it didn't appear to have done much harm his kidneys had been struggling to process it. A few hours of dialysis and his blood was clean again. Both hands had received second degree burns** all the way up to his elbows and his chest showed similar signs. Bruce was a little worried that the heat damage may cause respiratory problems due to complications in his lungs, but so far there were no symptoms. All in all, Tony was in bad shape – but he would recover.

It was well into the night and Bruce was aware that all of them were in desperate need of rest. The fight had taken a lot out of them, and they'd been awake since early that morning – or yesterday morning he realised, depending on which side of midnight they were on. Thor was the only one not showing the signs of fatigue. He stood as immovable as ever off to one side, staring at Tony with guilt all across his face. The rest of the team had spent the better part of an hour trying to convince him that this was not his fault, just Tony's stubborn tendency to be a self sacrificing idiot, but the demi god would not hear of it. Bruce felt for the guy. He understood better than most what it was to know you had hurt someone close to you, even if it was unintentional

And so the night wore on. As predicted, nothing much happened. Deep in the embraces of ample quantities of morphine, Tony didn't so much as stir until dawn's light was blazing in the East.

"Nmmmgh."

"Eloquent," was the first thing Bruce thought to say as he leapt up from his seat to check Tony's vitals. The billionaire blinked owlishly up at him, frowning with sleep muddled confusion. The expression was hilariously adorable. He mumbled a strange string of noises again, but the doctor couldn't pick out anything comprehensible. "You're on the helicarrier. The rest of the team are here too," he explained when Stark started looking around in mild panic.

Bruce had learned early on that Tony was sensitive to certain things – remnants of his traumatic experience in Afghanistan – and waking up in unfamiliar surroundings was one of them.

"Wha...?" Stark's voice was quiet and raspy, clogged with sleep.

"You were an idiot and thought that Thor zapping you would be a good idea," Nat put it, her voice too soft for any venom to show. Tony frowned at her, clearly puzzled. "The power overloaded your reactor."

"Here," Bruce murmured, tipping some ice chips into Tony's mouth. The billionaire sucked on them silently for a moment.

"How... Bad?" He whispered after a moment, still too weak to make his voice carry. Most of the team frowned at him, but Banner had gotten to know Stark well over the last few months and so instantly understood.

"You're a damned fool, but you haven't damaged yourself beyond repair. Your kidneys had a hissy fit and your hands are a little bit crisp, but from what I can tell, you'll be fine within a few weeks." Tony nodded slowly, his eyelids drooping again. The billionaire was worn out, that much was obvious and Bruce knew that the rest of the team needed a break. "You need sleep," he told his friend. "We'll still be here when you wake up. As for the rest of you, hit the sack for at least eight hours." Tony happily closed his eyes and drifted off again, but everyone else started complaining. "Doctor's orders." It had become a long standing joke between the team: when Bruce went into 'doctor mode' the others did what he said. Or else.

"Only if you'll do the same," Steve offered. Bruce nodded at him.

"Eight hours. Be warned anyone who is back here before then."

**..**

Just over a week later and things had almost settled. Tony had escaped the medical bay again, and this time Banner was sorely tempted to just let him go. The billionaire had decided half a day into his 'captivity' that he was sufficiently healed to go back to his lab. Needless to say, the medical staff had disagreed, and Stark had ended up in lock down. But he wasn't a technological genius for nothing, and he had broken through the encrypted codes in a matter of minutes.

The more often this happened, the more amusing it became. It was something of a game between the two friends, Bruce would have him secluded in a secure medical room and Tony would break out.

But now, he decided, the game had to end. The fluid that had gotten into Tony's system hadn't done any lasting damage – it had dehydrated him and caused some quite severe aches for a day or so from where it had been absorbed into his muscles, but that was it. The burns around the arc reactor were fairly superficial compared to his hands. Tony had informed Bruce that after the last... incident he had had with an overheating reactor, he had modified the casing in his chest to be (mostly) heat proof. If he hadn't, it was more than likely that the billionaire would have died. It was just his hands then that were any cause for concern.

They were healing nicely and didn't require any surgical help, but as Bruce kept stressing to Tony, burns could very easily become infected and suddenly deteriorate. Not that Stark paid any attention to his warnings whatsoever, as he was currently proving.

"I think that we've already had this conversation, don't you?" He asked, folding his arms and leaning against the door frame of Tony's lab. The billionaire had requested to return to his tower, which Fury had declined. This normally wouldn't have stopped him, but the master spy had put his suit in lock down, under constant armed guard – a guard that included Clint – and self destructive though he may be, Stark wasn't suicidal. So he was stuck on the helicarrier until further notice.

"We have. But we can have it again if you like," Tony smiled at him. His bandaged hands were currently taking apart the reactor that had almost killed him.

"Or you could just tell me what you're doing?"

"I could. If you want to know, I'm trying to work out which component of the reactor failed sufficiently to cause the overload."

"Failed sufficiently?" Bruce asked, nonplussed.

"Most of the systems had one little melt down or another. I'm trying to find the one that triggered the rest." Bruce just nodded, not really needing a lesson on arc reactor technology. It wasn't really his area.

"The nurses tell me you got out of your room within three minutes. Have to say, I'm impressed."

"Of course you are, I'm brilliant." He flashed a dazzling smile and Banner just shook his head with a chuckle.

"Please tell me that Pepper doesn't fall for that rubbish."

"No," Tony replied, trying to make himself look very sad at this information. He couldn't quite manage it. "She sees right through me, every time."

"Smart girl." Tony laughed, nodding and turned back to what he was doing. "Is there any point in me telling you to go back to the medical bay?"

"Not really. I don't like it there. Besides, I'm perfectly fine." He turned around to face him fully. "Look at me. Completely healthy." Trying to be sneaky, he slid his hands behind his back.

"I saw that." Stark shrugged, unconcerned. "Fine, stay here then. If you collapse, I'm not hauling your ass back there myself."

"Pepper would probably be upset with you," he warned half heartedly. A voice from behind him, from the other doorway made him spin around so fast his head swam.

"I don't know. I could understand his reasons."

"Pepper!" Tony cried out in surprise. At his word, his girlfriend was at his side, hugging him tightly. He tucked his face into her neck, breathing in her scent as he held her.

"Bruce rang me. Said he thought you could do with someone responsible around to keep you in check. Fury said he wanted you on the helicarrier for now, so Bruce got Nat to pick me up."

"I'm glad you're here Pep," he murmured softly, before looking up, over her head to Bruce. _'Thank you,' _he mouthed silently. The doctor smiled knowingly, and backed out the room without another word.

"So, I hear that you're being a self sacrificing fool again," Pepper began, pulling away to look into his eyes.

"You've been talking to Nat, haven't you?"

"She may have said something. Care to explain?" The red head was using that voice that told Tony he better have the right answer or he'd be in trouble.

"Err... We... I..." He muttered. To his utter astonishment, she laughed.

"Tony, it's alright. Nat explained that you felt you had to do it, but next time could you at least try to stay alive?" She was gazing up at him with those puppy dog eyes that he could swear she had taught to Bruce.

"Alright, promise." And before she could respond, he leaned down to kiss her.

**..**

_I said this would just be quick. This is, theoretically, it. But if people want more, tell me and I will provide. If said people want to give me a nudge in whatever direction they want it to go, it would be much appreciated._

_*I haven't the faintest idea. I'm just going on the scene from the first Iron Man film where the reactor is taken. I apologise, but the finer points of complex, theoretical physics escape me._

_**I was going to say third degree burns because I figured it would sound more bamf but then I googled it and found out that third degree burns are painless and would require excision (skin grafts, surgery etc). Given that I know nothing about it, I figured I would steer clear. And it wouldn't have fit. So there you go :)_


	4. Chapter 4

"Stark!" The billionaire jumped at the loud voice, automatically looking up to see an angry Fury glaring down at him. Another meeting, and for Tony another chance to day dream himself into oblivion.

"Is there any point in me even pretending to have been listening?" He said to Bruce beside him in a stage whisper. The doctor chuckled and shook his head, his face torn between frustration and amusement. Glancing around at the others, Tony realised that they had all been watching him for a while. He felt an uncharacteristic flash of embarrassment for a moment – he hadn't realised he was that distracted.

"Why do you even come to these meetings Stark?" Fury muttered, clearly aiming for a rhetorical question.

"Because when I don't turn up you send the ninja spider-" a nod towards Natasha, who glared at him "-after me." Clint laughed until his girlfriend started glaring daggers at him too. Tony stuck his tongue out at him.

"Doctor, has Stark been cleared from medical?" The director was rapidly losing his patience with the billionaire, who was going a little stir crazy from not being allowed of the helicarrier. And it turned out that a cooped up genius with top of the range equipment could become quite a nuisance. The systems had been going haywire all day, with random music blaring out from speakers, machines shutting down for no apparent reason, and Tony's personal favourite, a computer that hurled abuse at whoever tried to use it.*

"I don't see much point in confining him there any more, if that's what you're asking. They tell me that there isn't much else they can do to help other that keep tabs on his hands, and since he has decided that he doesn't want to be there..." He raised an eyebrow and shrugged helplessly. Fury understood – as much as he hated to admit it, S.H.I.E.L.D's security systems couldn't hold up against the technology genius.

Currently, said genius was playing with one of his see through phones (Fury had tried to have them confiscated but Tony just made more).

"What are you doing?" The director dropped into his chair. Must all their meetings end up like this?

"I'm trying to keep track of all your unruly agents. Six of the computers on the bridge are _not _being used from anything that even remotely resembles S.H.I.E.L.D's work and another ten in various sections of the ship have also been hijacked. You should thank me," he replied calmly, not looking up from his phone.

"You're trying to... help?" Natasha looked completely surprised and Tony pulled a face of faux heartbreak.

"I've been known to do so, I'll have you know." She tried to kick him under the table and Clint giggled again. Even Bruce was chuckling softly to himself. Steve was just watching them with the fond exasperation of a put upon parent. Pepper had been required for the morning at Stark Industries and Thor was off seeing Jane.

For a second no one said anything, then all of a sudden Tony crowed and punched the air. "Damn, I'm good. And you really need to get someone else to write your encryption programs, they're woefully out of date." Fury just shook his head. Pointing his phone at the TV screens in the meeting room, Stark was able to pull up the video feed for the main control room, revealing the pandemonium he was causing.

Bruce and Clint both cracked up laughing; even Natasha had to fight off a smile though Steve just shook his head as if he was greatly disappointed. Fury looked thoroughly outraged, but it wasn't like there was anything he could do. The feeds showed a bridge that was in complete disarray as agents scrambled to look at the screens that Tony had taken control of and was now using to blast out a hundred hour long video of Nyan Cat. The agents who had been using those computers looked mortified and Stark took a sadistic amount of pleasure in watching one of them flee the room, blushing like mad.

"Stark, turn it off!" Fury yelled at him, on his feet again and pacing back and forth, agitated.

"Fine," the billionaire conceded, pressing a few buttons and the Nyan Cat morphed into various types of caramelldansen. Even Nat was laughing now, though she tried to get it together when Fury glared at her, with little success. Clint had his head on the table as he cackled unashamedly, and Bruce was gripping his sides to try and alleviate the aching the laughter was causing.

With a scowl, Steve snatched the phone off the billionaire, glaring at him for his immaturity. Tony shrugged at him, exuding smug satisfaction.

"Stark, I will have you thrown off this ship, now _turn it off." _The billionaire allowed the venom in Fury's voice to process before realising that the man wasn't joking and if he wasn't very careful he would find himself plummeting towards the Atlantic Ocean with or without his suit. Holding out a hand for his phone, he rapidly began to type, rewriting the programme he had just made. It was nothing complex, and he wasn't exactly proud of it, but it had achieved the desired response.

The video feed showed the previously singing screens go dark, and slowly the giggling, confused agents return to their jobs. In a small fit of rebellion, Stark programmed one more thing and the hijacked screens suddenly flashed a small note saying: _'I know that Galaga is fun, but aren't you meant to be saving the world?' _Another two of the 'victimised' agents left the room in silence.

Slipping his phone back into his pocket, Stark looked around at the others. Steve had taken a seat, staring at the desk in front of him, clearly trying to remain out of the proceedings. Nat was sat in silence, a small smile still gracing her face. Bruce had somewhat collected himself but was still grinning wildly whilst Clint hadn't reappeared from where he had buried his face in the desk. Fury looked _pissed. _

"And you wonder why I don't like letting you on the helicarrier?"

"In case you'd forgotten Nick, I have been trying to leave. You're the one that kept me here." And suddenly Bruce understood what Tony was doing. Contrary to popular belief, the billionaire didn't cause chaos for the hell of it; he usually had some form of agenda. Currently, it was pissing Fury off enough that he was allowed to leave the ship he was confined on.

"You know what? Just go. I'll tell the agents to allow you access to the suit." Stark grinned and leapt to his feet.

"Well, now that's done, I shall see you all later. Toodles," he called with a cheeky grin, escaping the room and heading towards his suit. Bruce followed him as quickly as he could.

"Tony, are you sure this is a good idea? Your hands are still hurt." The billionaire didn't slow down.

"I'm wearing the old reactor, remember? The suit won't hurt me."

"I'm not worried about the suit hurting you. I'm worried about you hurting you." Tony frowned at him, trying to make sense of that, then shrugged unmoved.

"It's just a quick flight back to the tower. I'll be completely fine. Besides, I'm going to have to fly in the suit again at some stage." He nodded at the guards as he passed them, glad to see that Fury had kept to his word and they let them through without comment.

"I was hoping that would be when you were healthy," Bruce muttered, but he knew that there would be no stopping his friend.

"I'm fighting fit," Tony replied in mock outrage. "Why, you worried about me Hulky?"

"God help me, but I am. Someone has to look after you when Pepper isn't around to save you from your own stupidity."

"Bruce." The sincerity in his voice caused the doctor to look up at the billionaire's face. Tony was staring at him, no humour in his face. "Trust me. I'm alright." Banner just nodded, finding himself unable to make further comment. He was saved by the entrance of the rest of the team, minus Thor.

"Well, this feels familiar," Clint offered and Tony chuckled.

"Hopefully, this flight will end better than the last one did." The machines were whirring around him, sliding the plates smoothly into place. He had been forced to exact some major repairs after the others had torn the armour off him, not sparing a thought for the sensitivity of the wiring within. Though, Tony had to admit, they had only been trying to save his life – he couldn't exactly blame them. Still, he had whined to Bruce about it for a while until the doctor had simply told him that Thor was the one to break the armour, and he should take it up with the demi god himself. Needless to say, Tony dropped the argument rather quickly after that.

"Fury said we can do what we want for now," Nat told him. "You still have room at the tower for us?"

"Well, it might be a bit of a squeeze. I only have... five hundred odd rooms free. But we could make it work." He winked at her, before letting his mask slide into place. "JARVIS?"

"Ready and waiting Sir," came the English voice. "All vital systems fully functional though there are still minor faults in communications and oxygen supply for underwater travel. Are you planning on any deep sea diving today Sir?"

"Let's just stick to flying for now, shall we?"

"Very good Sir," came the automated voice as flight systems powered up.

"Anyone else want pizza tonight?" Tony asked them, and they nodded enthusiastically. The billionaire had never made any fuss about lending the others money, or paying for things. After their first battle, he had footed the bill for $200 worth of shwarma (Thor declared he was hungry; the people working in the restaurant had look positively mortified at how much he was eating) without a single comment, and had paid for endless take outs since. Money just didn't mean anything to him: he had it and others didn't. Therefore it only made sense that he would pay.

"We'll get someone to drop us at the tower. Be _careful,_" Bruce told him as Tony activated his thrusters.

"Will do," he called back, speeding towards his freedom.

**..**

"You know, for a small guy, you eat an awful lot," Tony told Bruce, who was happily munching on what had to be his ninth slice of pizza.

"I'm eating for two, what's your excuse?" The doctor shot back. Tony grinned at him but didn't reply.

"Sir, Miss Potts has just arrived. Do you wish me to send her up?"Steve still jumped whenever JARVIS spoke, and now was no exception. The out-of-his-time soldier was coping well with modern technology, considering, but he still couldn't comprehend Tony's AI system. Choking on his mouthful of pizza, Steve needed Clint to thump him hard on the back to regain the ability to breathe. He glared at the billionaire who was laughing at him unashamedly.

"Please JARVIS. You might want to warn her that the others are here first though."

A few minutes later a tired Pepper Potts appeared out of the elevator and promptly dropped onto the seat next to Tony and grabbing a slice of pizza.

"How did you get past Fury?"

"What can I say? I made a convincing argument." Clint laughed and Pepper caught Banner's eye, a question on her face. The doctor just shook his head at her.

'_I wouldn't ask,' _he mouthed. She smiled knowingly and pecked Tony on the cheek. Normally she would scold him for being a nuisance, but if it had been enough to get him home she would let it go; for now.

"Can you too stop having private conversations?" Tony asked, nudging Pepper gently. She smiled innocently at him, trying to pretend nothing happened. The billionaire looked unconvinced, but made no comment, suddenly distracted.

Something felt strange. His breathing felt laboured at his heart was starting to race. He looked to his reactor in alarm, relieved to see it was still glowing through his shirt. He coughed a little, hoping to ease his breathing but nothing happened.

"Tony?" Pepper's voice was quiet and concerned and he became aware that someone had been speaking to him for a while. "Tony, what's wrong?"

"I... I don't know." His voice was thin and wispy as he gasped for breath that wouldn't come. "C-Can't breathe." Bruce was at his side in an instant, helping him up.

"We need to get him to my lab. Send a call out to the helicarrier to come and pick us up," he ordered the others, who jumped up to fulfil the instructions.

"Bruce! What is it?" Pepper's voice sounded utterly terrified and Tony suddenly felt bad for scaring her. This probably wasn't even a big deal, it would pass in a moment. He tried to find the breath to tell them so, but his lungs wouldn't cooperate with him.

"I don't know, but Pepper, I'll make sure he's alright. I promise."

**..**

_I had a variety of requests, so I hope to fill them all (team bonding and Tony whump being the main ones). So yes, for now, this story is not over. Yay :)_

_*I stole this from Harry Potter. Sue me._

_Just as a note, coming off a conversation with Red Tigress, I know that Banner isn't a medical doctor. I kind of played him off as one because it was easier. I made the assumption that he would be involved in Tony's treatment because he would be the only one who knew about the reactor. A few people were asking about it, so now you know :)_


	5. Chapter 5

When Steve entered the lab it was to the sight of Bruce and Pepper hovering over a semi conscious Tony, an oxygen mask pressed over his nose and mouth. Even from where he was standing, the super soldier could hear the billionaire's struggle to breathe.

"S.H.I.E.L.D are on their way. What's wrong with him?" He demanded. Pepper didn't say a word, just stared at him helplessly, tears pooling in her blue eyes. Banner shook his head slowly, worry written all over his features.

"I don't know. When he was hurt I was worried that he might have burns in his lungs, but nothing came up on the scans and Tony said he felt fine; I assumed that I was worrying over nothing."

"That doesn't look much like nothing," Steve pointed out, inclining his head towards his teammate. The doctor flinched slightly, and the soldier found himself quickly backtracking. "I didn't mean- This isn't your fault." Bruce just grimaced at him and said nothing.

"He's... Right," a very faint voice said, and all eyes in the room snapped to the billionaire. "Not... y-your fault." Tony's eyes were slipping closed, but he'd pulled the mask away from his face to talk. Pepper firmly pressed it back over his nose and mouth and glared at him to make sure it stayed there though at this point it was a rather pointless gesture: he was too tired to do anything further.

His chest felt like it was burning, not an inferno, but the slow creeping of embers that wrapped around his lungs until even with the oxygen mask he was light headed and weak. To begin with, he had been terrified, panicking and making the situation worse, but as time went on, a strange calm overtook him. He relaxed into the workbench he was propped against, pressing his face into the hand Pepper had left on his cheek. His eyes flickered closed, the sounds of the room around him fading in and out in strange lurches and lulls.

"Bruce!" Pepper's voice was torn with fear. The doctor dropped to his best friend's side and instantly started searching for a pulse. He found one, weak and thready and automatically his own heart began to race.

"We need to get him out of here," Banner declared, before looking up at Steve who still hovered in the doorway. "How long until S.H.I.E.L.D arrive?"

"The helicarrier is just outside the city, they should be here any minute now."

**..**

They had been waiting there for hours. Pepper was fairly certain that if she didn't hear about Tony in the next few minutes she might actually just collapse under the stress that was working its way through her. Her hands were shaking delicately and she found that she was only able to stay still for a few moments at a time before it all became too much and she had to fight the urge to cry.

"How is he?" The red head demanded as soon as the doctor walked into the room. The rest of the Avengers were pacing around the room, or folded into various positions of stress, silent and scared. They would never admit it, especially to him, but each of them cared about Tony in their own way. The doctor looked around at them all, suddenly feeling very intimidated.

"He's alive. He's being moved out of surgery – nothing major," he placated when Pepper gasped, "but we had no other way of finding out what was wrong with his lungs in time. We discovered that his alveoli had become coated with a substance – we believe to be ionic discharge from the arc reactor – and it was preventing gas exchange." Thor in particular looked entirely blank. "Oxygen wasn't able to enter his blood," he simplified.

"What happens now then?" Bruce was wound so tightly that Pepper could see a slight green tinge to his skin.

"I was hoping that you could help with that Dr Banner. We've cleared his lungs for the time being, but there is nothing stopping the discharge from building up again. Mr Stark should wake up in the next few hours and I was hoping that together you could work on prevention of such a problem. Unfortunately, S.H.I.E.L.D restricts all knowledge about the arc reactor so my team and I will not be of much help." The aging physician looked genuinely upset.

Bruce nodded slowly, his mind already racing through possible causes and solutions, piecing together every detail Tony had told him about the machine keeping him alive – it wasn't much to go on.

"I can help," Pepper put it. "I doubt I'd be much use for the science, but I understand how his reactor works well enough." She looked expectantly at Banner who smiled at her in gratitude.

"We'll leave you and the doctor to your work then," Steve told Pepper with a polite nod. "We need to brief Fury on the situation."

Slowly Clint, Thor and Steve all filed out of the room, offering Pepper smiles of reassurance. Natasha actually came up and hugged her, rubbing her arm with a warm smile before following the others.

"Well doctor," the red head smile at Bruce. "Time to get to work."

**..**

"The plasma from the reactor reached my lungs?" Tony blinked at the pair hovering by his bedside. "That sounds... not good." He frowned, trying to shake off the clutches of the morphine that still lingered in his system. He needed to be able to think straight right now, it would seem he was on a time limit. "Is this thing ever going to stop trying to kill me?" He muttered to himself, glaring at the little circle of blue that just went on shining, unhindered by his hateful looks.

Bruce looked to Pepper, frowning at her as though Tony had gone mad but the red head just sighed and murmured that she'd explain later.

"We need to find a way to stop it from happening again, but we need your help Tony. We don't know enough about the technology." Bruce was trying to keep his voice calm. It should have been easy, all the practice he had had with talking to people in the third world who were dying without a hope, but faced with telling his best friend that he was potentially going to die? Not as easy. Or anywhere close, it turned out, but he was trying.

"I need to get to my lab." The billionaire announced, and without further explanation proceed to pull off the electrodes attached to his chest. One of the machines next to him started beeping frantically, wailing for the nurse, who appeared almost immediately in the doorway.

She glared at her patient so fiercely that even Tony looked panicked for a moment, before pulling out a winning smile.

"I'm checking myself out for a while. I'll be back soon." He went back to trying to escape the bed. The nurse huffed loudly, spinning on her heel and marching off down the corridor, presumably to try and find a doctor. "Quick, while she's gone." Tony eased himself to his feet, testing his weight before stepping away from the bed.

"Tony, this isn't a good idea," Pepper warned, but she sounded like she already knew how this was going to end. "You just got out of _surgery._"

"You just told me that my reactor needs work, and that no one knows it like I do. It would take weeks to fill someone in on the ins and outs of it. Time I don't have at the moment Pep," his voice light and teasing. But there was a stress hidden there, under the layers of genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist, there was a very human person who didn't want to die. And it was hearing that fear that broke through any walls Pepper might have constructed and led her to nodding at her boyfriend.

**..**

When they reached the lab, Tony headed for one of the cupboards and pulled on a small tank of oxygen, taking a gulp of the stuff before dropping the tank onto his desk. The other two shared uneasy looks, but no one said anything and the matter was dropped.

"If the discharge is getting into my body the reactor wall must be damaged. The palladium was small enough to diffract through the graphite crystals, but the discharge shouldn't be able to. I'm thinking it's either cracked or melted." Pepper looked blank, but Bruce nodded his head in interest. He stepped closer to the bench where Tony was fiddling with a spare reactor.

"But this reactor wasn't the one that hurt you. Why would it be damaged?"

"The casing that holds the reactor in place is metal. Even when this reactor was put it, it was likely to be very warm and/or charged. The core is stable, but is still very fragile. What I'm not sure how to fix is the casing itself. For the plasma to be getting through there must be a fault somewhere. But I can't exactly switch it out, it's attached to me." Tony frowned, clearly struggling to think up one of his brilliant solutions but coming up blank.

"So, how do we stop it from suffocating you?" Pepper looked worried, her soft features creased in concern.

"Currently, I'm trying to increase the density of the graphite. It should stop any discharge as well as minimise unnecessary ionic movement. It'll make it heavier, but it should keep me alive until I come up with a better solution." He was tapping at a keyboard, programming the machines to make the necessary adjustments to the reactor. The computer beeped at him unhappily as S.H.I.E.L.D's firewalls popped up, but the billionaire had hacked his way in within a few minutes.

It was only ten minutes later that Fury stormed into the lab, his face living up to his name.

"I was lead to believe that you'd be in hospital for the foreseeable future," the director shot at Tony, who was breathing deeply from the oxygen tank again, his face pale. Bruce and Pepper hovered protectively near him, but said nothing, wary to interfere.

"You sound almost happy about that," the billionaire replied, his sarcasm somewhat falling short as his voice was breathless and weak.

"And you sound like a hospital is the smart place to go."

"When do I ever do the smart thing?" Bruce actually giggled a little, before burying his head in a book on the desk to avoid Fury's glare.

"Why are you hacking my systems?" He asked after a moment, rubbing his forehead as though trying to ward off the inevitable headache that was Tony Stark.

"I needed to write a programme. Your systems didn't seem to like it, so I shut them down for a while. I hope you don't mind," he offered an unapologetic smile.

"You... Urgh," Fury groaned, glancing at Pepper as though she could offer answers.

"Tony needed to upgrade his reactor," she explained timidly. The intimidating director still made her feel somewhat uncomfortable.

"It was trying to kill me again. I'd say it was a fair excuse." Tony coughed softly, trying to cover it up, but they had all noticed him becoming more breathless. He glanced up at Bruce. "How long until the upgrades are complete?" The doctor glanced at one of the screens.

"Seventy eight percent complete. About another five minutes. How long do you have?"

"Going by the way it feels? It's going to be pushing it, even if this thing works the way it's supposed to."

"What works the way it's supposed to?" Natasha wondered into the lab, immediately tensing with stress when she saw the state Tony was in. As always Clint was only a few steps behind her and he too stilled as he laid eyes upon his friend.

"I designed a new reactor that should hopefully stop the current one from slowly suffocating me. Any questions?" It was too much to say in one go and he had to draw deeply from the tank. He could feel the pressure building in his lungs, the tingling spreading through his extremities as his oxygen stores were limited to his vital organs.

"Er.." Nat started, but the machine interrupted her with a loud beeping.

"Wonderful," Tony said, taking one last gulp of oxygen before leaving the tank on the table to cross to the machine. The improved arc reactor glowed faintly up at him. It didn't appear any different, but hopefully the reactor wall should hold for the time being.

"Will it work?" Fury asked, sounding more curious than worried.

"Here's hoping," Tony muttered quietly, pulling out his current reactor, and sliding in the new one. It slid into place with a soft click.

**..**

_It ended suddenly, yes, but I want to go to bed._

_I am aware that absolutely none of the science in this makes sense. I was just trying to make Tony and Bruce sound clever. _

_I don't know what I think about this. I just felt bad for not updating. I came to the conclusion that I was going to fail all my A levels and so went into a blind panic._


	6. Chapter 6

Tony didn't say anything as he grabbed the oxygen mask and held it up to his face, eyes closed breathing deeply.

"How do we know if it's worked?" Nat actually sounded a little worried, eyeing the billionaire with concern. It was obvious that Tony did currently have the air to talk so Bruce jumped in to fill the gap.

"We won't for a little while. If he starts getting worse then it's likely that it isn't working. If it is, it will still take a while for his blood to clear the residue from his lungs."

Pepper was rubbing soothing circles onto her boyfriends arm and with his free hand he reached out to catch her fingers, gripping her hand softly, ever careful not to hurt her.

"You need to go back to the medical bay Tony," she murmured to him softly. He looked up at her pleadingly but she stood her ground. The man couldn't breathe; he couldn't possibly still think that he was fit to go about his normal day, could he? Oh, what was she thinking? This was Tony Stark, of course he thought that.

"She's right Tony. They can get you back on dialysis to clear it out of your blood faster. And they need to monitor your kidneys. If plasma starts building up there then it could cause serious problems..." Bruce trailed off, noticing the way Pepper was turning paler and paler. Tony half glared at him but then nodded tiredly. He was completely exhausted, to be honest, he just wanted to sleep.

By the time they reached the infirmary there was a group of nurses already waiting for him with their equipment prepped. The nurse he had snuck by earlier glared at him sharply and even in his semi conscious state Tony laughed. He was deposited in a bed by Bruce who had been supporting his sagging frame the whole way down here and he sank boneless into the mattress. His consciousness fluttered and everything started dimming. He was aware of Pepper holding his hand and he smiled softly as he drifted away.

**..**

When he woke up it was to the sight of Thor and Steve sat on hard chairs next to his bedside watching an old tv show that Tony didn't recognise. Neither of the two Avengers noticed that he was conscious and for a moment he was content to just lie there, listening to their comfortable chatter, contemplating just how strange this scenario was.

On one side of him sat a demi god, and on the other a ninety year old super soldier. It was strange to say the least.

His memories after fitting the new reactor were a little hazy and he had no recollection at all of reaching the infirmary, but from the space on the ceiling he could see that was where he was. Normally he would already have been kicking and screaming, demanding to be freed from his prison but with two of his friends/co-workers there it didn't seem so bad.

"When do you reckon Tony's going to tell us he's awake?" Steve's voice penetrated the thoughts he was wrapped in and he blinked at the soldier as he turned to look at him, grinning. "You stopped snoring. It was a little obvious."

"I _don't _snore," Tony hissed back in mock outrage, fighting a smile. He knew this for a fact so he wasn't offended. Steve smiled softly.

"How do you feel?"

"I can breathe. It's an improvement." He shrugged a little, feeling the pull of bandages around his ribs. If they'd performed surgery without his consent he was going to be pissed.

"You were very ill, Man of Iron. But you are recovered." Thor declared, grinning widely, reminding Tony of a child at Christmas.

"I think recover_ing_ would be more apt," he replied, but smiled to let him know he was only joking. Thor could be a little dense with social interaction sometimes. He struggled a little to sit upright and Steve leapt in to help. It said a lot for their relationship that Tony didn't refuse the help – once upon a time the captain would have gotten a fist to the face for his troubles. "How long have I been out?"

"About two days. It's ten in the morning."

"Urgh, this is far too early to be awake. Why aren't you guys still in bed?" Steve shook his head in bemused fondness.

"Most normal people tend to be up by now. Getting on with their days and such."

"Have I ever told you how boring it must be to be normal?"

"Yes Tony, many times. I think the last time Clint tried to deck you."

"Ah, I remember that. I seem to recall being drunk though, that doesn't count. Would Clint really sink so low as to hit a poor, defenceless drunk?"

"That depends on whether said drunk was you or not," came the archer's voice from the doorway as the man himself slipped into the room. Tony observed for the thousandth time how strange it was for a full grown man to be able to move so silently without even noticing it. Years of training he supposed.

"I'm shocked Agent Barton." Tony replied, trying to look outraged but failing miserably. He couldn't quite explain it, but he felt incredibly comfortable at the moment; being surrounded by teammates? It felt like... home.

"No you're not."

"No, I'm not. But I am offended."

"Well, life's tough." Clint took the seat Steve had vacated, earning a glare from the soldier who realised that he was still stood next to Stark and now had nowhere to sit. Tony giggled slightly.

"What are you laughing at?" Steve's glare suddenly turned on him and Stark scrambled to make a straight face, failing miserably. The soldier cuffed him on the head lightly.

"Hey! I'm an invalid here. You're not meant to hit invalids."

"Yeah well, this one annoyed me."

"You know you love me, Cap."

"God help us," Steve muttered and Clint sniggered. Tony was smiling, feeling contented. His breathing was a little more effort than usual, and moving around hadn't helped, but he had no need for the oxygen mask and he felt so much healthier than before.

"Where's Pepper?" He asked after a moment of peaceful quiet, the hum of the tv still buzzing in the background softly.

"She had to go to her office for some paperwork. She said she'd be back by this evening."

"She works far too hard," Tony griped, but he didn't really mean it. Well, he did, but he was really just annoyed that he couldn't have his Pepper there.

"She has a company to run."

"I own the damn company. I'd say that makes me her boss, and I say she works too much."

"It doesn't work that way Tony," Clint informed him as Steve resisted the urge to hit his head against the wall. It was like dealing with a three year old.

"Shouldn't you be following Natasha around like a puppy?"

"I don't 'follow her like a puppy!'" Clint snapped back, looking a little offended.

"Clint, you sort of do," Steve muttered uncertainly, looking a little embarrassed to be admitting it. The archer huffed, annoyed.

"Ignore them Clint," Natasha's voice reached him as she materialised in the doorway. "They're just jealous." She walked forwards, depositing herself with impressive grace in the archer's lap.

"Excuse me," Tony said. "I have my own red head thank you very much. And what is this? A conference? What's so interesting about this room? Is there a party I don't know about?" He didn't actually mind, was glad of the company in fact, but he was a little confused as to why they were all gathering at his bedside. It wasn't like he was dying. Or was he? "What's my prognosis?"

"Stark, calm down. You're going to be fine. Fury's given us time off is all but we can't leave the helicarrier for a little while. So me and Thor thought we should come and bother you and then they joined the gang," Steve nodded towards the two assassins who were curled up together.

"Where's Banner? I feel he should join the gang." In truth, Tony had half expected him to be here when he woke up.

"I passed him on my way here," Nat told him. "He said he'd be coming down soon, he just had to grab some things."

"What kind of things?"

"Haven't the faintest."

"As a master spy, I feel that you should know these things."

"Maybe I trust him enough to not spy on him. He's on our team isn't he?"

"I know for a fact that you keep trying to spy on me. JARVIS finds it amusing." Tony grinned cheekily at her and she glared back but there was no heat in her gaze.

"Like I said, I trust _him. _You? Not so much."

"What happened to being nice to invalids? Steve hit me, Clint wants to beat me up and you don't trust me. I feel unloved." In a show of childish annoyance he crossed his arms and huffed. Thor outright laughed, his guffawing echoing around the small rooms. Clint chuckled and even Steve cracked a smile. Tony kept up the charade for a moment then let it slide and grinned, just as Banner appeared.

"You're awake!" He said in surprise, blinking at him.

"I think so."

"You must power through morphine. I'd have thought you'd be out for another few hours at least." He shrugged, moving over to his bedside, having to skirt around the still laughing Thor and dumping a sports bag next to the billionaire. "A gift. Under the condition that you promise to stay here until the doctor's say that you're free to go." Tony looked at him for a moment trying to find a catch before his curiosity won out and he began sifting through the bag's contents.

He pulled out a notepad and pen first, followed quickly by some basic equipment he would need to do some of his more complex calculations. After that came a tablet that he activated and found JARVIS already linked to. More of his electronics followed including a phone and an mp3.

"Bruce, I think I might actually love you." He said, looking at his mound of goodies.

"You leave this bed once without permission and I'm taking it all back," Bruce warned then smiled. "But you're welcome."

"I swear I won't move an inch."

"I doubt that will last long," Nat muttered to Clint, but loud enough for the others to hear.

"I bet you a fiver that he won't last three days," the archer murmured back.

"I'll bet it'll be two days," Steve chimed in, and before Tony really understood what was happening there was a pool going among the team on how long he would last. He frowned at them all, then smirked.

"I bet that I can make it the whole time. One hundred dollars." Nat scoffed at him.

"One, you're never going to be able to do that. And two, one hundred dollars would barely cover your lunch half the time."

"And a fiver would cover Clint's? It's all relative," he grinned at her. "But fine. One hundred dollars _each._"

Bruce looked at Steve. Steve looked at Bruce. As one, they dived for the electronics on Tony's bed, scrambling to get them out of the billionaire's reach. They were _going _to win that bet.

**..**

_I promised the weekend. I never said at what stage in the weekend. Late night Sunday still counts._

_There wasn't really any story line here at all, I just wanted bonding time. So yeah, sue me. As previously said, this story has no direction really, it just keeps going until people are bored. So, suggestions and ideas are always appreciated. I have a few that I'm working on but I don't know when they'll be up. I have exams until Friday, and then I'M FREE. So lots of writing may appear around that time. I have other Avengers one shots floating around that it would be awesome if you checked out. Anyway, shameless self advertising over. _

_Just as a thank you for all the support this story has got. You're all amazing. Sorry to those of you who I didn't reply to, I just haven't the time. All reviews are read, I promise, even if I can't find the time to send a response. That it all :)_

_See you all next time._


	7. Chapter 7

_Mwahaha, it seems we have a lot of very honest people reading this who were outraged that I was trying to take Tony's toys away. I'm very impressed by your trustworthiness._

**..**

Tony was crowing. Bruce was being glowered at by several pairs of eyes. Thor was a little confused by the whole situation.

Steve and Bruce had managed to get most of the electronics away from the billionaire and Clint had grabbed the rest while Tony shouted at the outrage of it all until he couldn't breathe properly again. He had taken a few gulps from an oxygen mask, all the while glaring at the team who just smiled smugly.

The standoff had continued until Thor pointed out in a moment of sage wisdom that Tony had only made the bet under the idea that he would have his equipment, and as such the bet wouldn't stand unless the team gave them back. Scowling, the items had been returned to the billionaire and everyone blamed Bruce for thinking to bring them in the first place.

"Oh cheer up guys," Tony said smugly. "I'm sure you don't really _need _my money. I mean sure, I know that Natasha was eying up that red dress the other day, and Clint was looking for another bow but..." He trailed off and shrugged happily. The glare that Tasha threw his way was enough to shut him up.

"Just because you have your toys doesn't meant that you're going to win. You'll get bored soon enough. You always do." She snapped, before stalking out of the room glowering at everything that her gaze fell on. Clint followed after her, shooting a half hearted glare at Tony and Bruce.

"You know that Tasha isn't going to just let it go, don't you?" Steve asked him and Tony shrugged.

"Let her try. Unless she actually drags me from the room, I'm not budging. And yes, that also nullifies the bet; I have to leave here _willingly._" Bruce actually looked a little disappointed at that. "I have everything I need to entertain me." With that he picked up his phone and began tapping away, still smiling smugly.

**..**

"How do we get him to lose?" Tasha looked around at Clint and Bruce who had gathered in the archer's room to plot the billionaire's downfall. He hadn't been wrong before: both the assassins could use the money.

"I didn't bring any chargers for the technology." Bruce announced suddenly with a sly grin. "At the time, I couldn't find them so I figured that I'd collect them later. The batteries will fail soon enough." Clint clapped him on the back.

"Nice work doctor," he grinned. "I didn't know you had it in you."

"A man offers $100 dollars for nothing and he should expect to be ripped off." The doctor shot back, looking surprisingly smug. There was a sarcastic humour to the small man that Clint hadn't really been able to appreciate until more recently, but he was glad that he could; ironically, Bruce had become one of the few people he actually trusted – a friend.

"Without his gadgets Tony won't last long," Natasha said smugly, a plan already formulating in her mind. She was a master of planning ahead, and could predict the billionaire's actions long before he decided to do them.

"And the bet was that he would stay there until the doctors said he was free to go, wasn't it?" Clint put in, his face calculating. "So we convince the doctors to keep him in for as long as possible."

They sat there for about an hour, trying to work out ways to beat Tony. For Bruce it wasn't even about the money; he was already living of the billionaire's charity and even if he won he would refuse the payout. How could he honestly take money from the man who was keeping a roof over his head as well as singlehandedly defending him from S.H.I.E.L.D? But the doctor had found that he and Tony shared a competitive streak and they had something of an on-going battle of wits that Bruce was determined to win.

He supposed he should feel guilty that they were borderline cheating, but the bet was only light-hearted and in a way they were trying to help Tony. By focussing on the bet his mind wouldn't circle around being stuck in a hospital bed (Bruce had discovered a while ago that the reason Tony didn't like being confined to the infirmary had nothing to do with the doctors or the needles or whatever else Tony contested whilst there, it was simply a very basic fear of confinement. A remnant of his captivity in Afghanistan). And so they would tease and snark and make jabs at one another, just to help to calm the blind terror that overtook the billionaire.

By the time the doctor left Clint's room he headed back to the room Tony was being kept in, no plots or plans in mind, just wanting to check up on his friend. When he got there he was surprised to see the billionaire alone, with an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth again.

As soon as the doctor walked into the room Tony dropped the mask to one side, pulling out one of his most disarming smiles in greeting. Bruce had the distinct impression that the billionaire had been suffering more than he had let on, even if the doctor couldn't quite understand why he would do so. Then again, Tony never had been one for doing things logically.

"Have you, Tweedle Dum and Tweedle Dee finished discussing all the ways of trying to get my money?" Bruce didn't even question how he'd know about that – Tony was a genius after all and had a scary knack for reading people. "You know, I'm a little offended that you're all so determined to bankrupt me."

"Tony, five hundred dollars for you isn't even a blip on your accounts. I highly doubt that you'll even notice." Bruce rubbed at his eyes, resigning himself to the billionaire's sarcasm.

"It's the principle. And besides, if you were all so desperate for cash, you could have just asked." The doctor examined his friend closely, trying to work out how much of the offence was real and how much was just for show. Even after thirty seconds of silence he had no idea.

"I think at this stage, the others just want to beat you. Knock your ego down a little bit."

"You make it sound like that's a good thing," he shot back, but he was smiling again and Bruce just winked, finding the usual balance of the banter they shared.

"If you win they know that you'll never let it go." Tony shrugged, unashamed.

"So what plans have you lot come up with, now that taking away my technology is forbidden?"

"Ah, that would be telling." He tapped the side of his nose with a smile, sinking into one of the seats still clustered around his bed.

"You're no fun Banner," Tony griped, trying to look pitiful. He would have failed entirely if Bruce hadn't been able to hear the way he was rasping slightly.

"I won't think any less of you if you use the oxygen mask you know. No one here is judging you." He said quietly, not looking the billionaire in the eyes. Tony's head snapped around to glare at him, but then his gaze softened into something similar to guilt. He grabbed the mask in question and slipped the band around his head.

"I know I can trust you Bruce." His voice was a little garbled through the plastic, but it was heard none the less. "Sorry. I just..." He sounded strangely hesitant, and the tone didn't match Bruce's opinion of Tony at all. Tony was _not _a hesitant person.

"You have a reputation to maintain. You try and convince people that you're someone else, and trust me, I understand _that _better than you might think." No more was said on the matter, and Tony was grateful. He knew that Bruce understood him, and in turn he thought he might be beginning to figure out the doctor. The more he got to know the man, the more about him Tony found himself liking.

He didn't know how long they chatted for, talking all the while but saying almost nothing. If S.H.I.E.L.D were listening in, which they almost certainly were, Tony doubted that the poor agents watching the feeds wouldn't understand a word of it. It was just a way to pass the time.

Tony knew that Bruce knew how hard the billionaire struggled in confinement, and Tony also knew that Bruce was really here to help keep him calm. The doctor might want to win the bet, but not at the cost of suffering for his friend.

And so they talked and the hours passed and for a short while, Tony thought that everything might just be ok.

**..**

_Only short, but at least it's an update. More action on the way as soon as possible. _

_As said on my other story 'Always you,' my internet will be unreliable for a week. I hadn't expected it would be so patchy, but I'll try my best to find wi-fi where I can. I'll be writing in most of my free time so each time I do actually get internet I should be posting several different things. _

_Along the same lines, I still haven't replied to anyone's reviews. I feel bad. I do read them all and they make my day brighter, I promise, I just don't have the time/internet connection to reply. I apologise._

_And final piece of news, I'm planning on watching Captain America with a friend soon so hopefully my Steve will be more IC in future chapters. _


	8. Chapter 8

Tony hissed in frustration as he inadvertently shocked himself. He had figured out pretty quickly that the batteries to his gadgets were not endless and Bruce hadn't seen fit to bring the chargers. None of the team would help him with it now and they had threatened and/or convinced everyone else on the helicarrier to ignore all his requests. Pepper was wisely deciding to remain apart from the whole fiasco.

And so the billionaire was forced to do what he did best: make technological miracles with little to no equipment. This had led him to taking apart a spare tablet that Bruce had given him and cannibalising parts that could be used as a makeshift charger for everything else. The main problem he was facing was that the only plugs in the room were being used for the monitors gathered around his head and he seriously doubted that the nurses would appreciate him messing with them. His solution to this was deciding to charge everything off the arc reactor.

It was perfectly possible, anything that could power his suit for several hours could cope with a phone and an iPod. The issue was that he had never done this before and it was proving to be a case of trial and error. He had already sustained some burns around the reactor from where a spark had been spat onto his bare skin.

By the time Natasha strutted into the room over an hour later, looking distinctly smug, Tony had his phone hooked up to his reactor and was tapping happily on the screen, casually browsing through some of S.H.I.E.L.D's more classified files.

The red haired assassin froze upon seeing him before recovering slightly and settling for just glaring at the billionaire.

"I told you. Genius, billionaire, playboy philanthropist. If I can make an Iron Man suit in a cave with some missile scraps, I'm fairly sure I can fashion a charger from all of this lot." He grinned at her, completely unaffected by her murderous gaze. He'd realised long ago that if he wanted to avoid having a break down he had to get past any fear he had for the assassin; it had worked to some extent, though even he knew to not purposely provoke her – too far anyway.

"You're impossible." She snapped after a moment. His smile grew wider.

"It's why I'm here. Don't pretend you don't love it," he sniped back and she glared at him again. What was that about not purposely provoking her?

"Why do you want to win this bet so bad? It's not like you gain anything from it."

"I'm shocked Miss Romanov. Why would you think that I was trying to gain anything?" He pulled on a mask of faux outrage. She looked unconvinced.

"Because you're you and Tony Stark always has his reasons." The billionaire shrugged, dropping the act.

"I'm really just in it to prove you guys wrong. If you genuinely need the money I'm sure I could be persuaded, no matter who won." He said it jokingly, but they both knew that the offer was genuine. Loans didn't mean anything to Tony; if his friends needed it, then he would give it to them without a second thought and he'd never ask for it back.

Natasha just made a non-committal sound and shrugged. They both knew that it was meant as a thank you to the offer, but she was too proud to say it outright. In the same way that she would forever be too proud to ask for a loan from the billionaire.

"Just stoking your ego then?" She said after a moment.

"Do I ever do anything else?"

"Sometimes you try and diminish others. Does that count?" Tony chuckled and even the assassin cracked a smile. They might act like they hated each other, but Natasha found that she had gotten quite attached to the constant sarcasm and the ever persistent optimism. And she would always be grateful to him for befriending Clint and helping him through the guilt that he had suffered after the whole Loki disaster.

"Ah Miss Romanov, you know me too well."

**..**

"Bruce. Bruce. Bruce Bruce Bruce Bruce."

"Tony?"

"Yes Bruce?"

"Shut. Up." The doctor rubbed at his eyes trying to massage away the headache he could feel brewing behind his eyes. The other guy didn't like headaches. For a moment everything was blessedly silent, then:

"Bruce."

"_What?_" He snapped, feeling guilty when the billionaire flinched slightly, away from the sudden shouting. Tony recovered quickly though.

"I want to talk to the other guy."

"The other guy doesn't do talking. He does smashing."

"He didn't smash me."

"He didn't talk to you either." He was aware that he had taken on a tone he used to use to calm down patients of his who were under five or six years old.

"I want to talk to him." Tony repeated obstinately, sounding remarkably childlike. A pulse throbbed in Bruce's temple.

"Tough luck."

"That's not fair. Can I talk to him if I ask nicely?"

"No," he snapped, thoroughly annoyed now. He contemplated the repercussions of just standing up and walking out now, before deciding that the hissy fit Tony would throw would probably piss Fury off enough to actually do some damage.

"But why not?"

"Because he's a giant green monster who would rather break your face than look at it." Tony immediately looked annoyed.

"He's not a monster," he defended vehemently. "He saved my life."

"He was feeling generous."

"Maybe he'll be feeling generous today," Tony edged.

"No he won't. Why are we even having this conversation?"

"I'm sort of hoping that you'll get annoyed enough so that I can talk to the other guy."

"And _why _do you want to do that exactly? I never pegged you as suicidal."

"I did fly through an inter-dimensional portal into outer space with a weapon of mass destruction. I would hardly say that I'm safety conscious." Bruce's head dropped into his hands with a groan. Walking out was looking better and better.

"You didn't answer me."Tony immediately looked hesitant and didn't reply, eyes dropping to his bed sheets away from the doctor's face. "Tony. Tell me."

"I... I wanted to ask him." He said in a rush. "I wanted to know why he saved me. And to say thank you."

"Why didn't you just ask me that? I could answer and I'm far less likely to kill you."

"I didn't think you'd know. I thought you blacked out when Hulk comes out to play."

"I do," Bruce explained, trying his best to keep his voice calm and scientific. "But it comes back after a while, in bits and pieces. Emotions mainly, instead of solid memories, but it varies. I remember catching you." The doctor looked a little pale as the image of Tony plummeting from the sky filled his vision. "He did it for the same reason I would save you."

"And what is that exactly?" The billionaire was trying his best to not look as though the anticipation was killing him. It was a question that had been bothering him for a while.

"You treat us the same." When Tony looked nonplussed, Bruce expanded. "You don't act differently around us. It's like you think we're the same as everyone else. Like you're not afraid."

"That's because I don't fear you. I trust you far too much. And stop talking about yourself as if you're something freakish."

"I never said I was a freak."

"No but it was implied and I dislike it." Tony sniffed haughtily and Bruce cracked up at the image. The billionaire joined him and then for no reason at all they were giggling together like school girls.

"You know," came Clint's voice from the air duct above them. "For two geniuses you two sure sound like idiots." The archer pushed open the vent and dropped soundlessly into the room.

"How long have you been there?" Tony asked, feeling mildly self conscious. He didn't like being watched – another issue from Afghanistan.

"I just arrived. Do I get to be filled in on what caused the laughing fit?"

"I'm suicidal and Bruce thinks he's a monster." Tony told him with a perfect poker face. Another slightly hysterical giggle escaped the doctor before the billionaire grinned. Clint just stared at them like they were crazy.

"You two are strange." He said eventually.

"Said the man who just dropped out of the air duct," Bruce fired back instantly.

The archer dropped into a seat beside them and they stayed like that for hours, taking digs at each other and laughing until their sides ached. After a time Tony had to resort back to his oxygen mask, but it wasn't commented on, and it seemed almost like normal, except for the constant bleep of the heart monitor and the way the billionaire could only manage short bouts of speech, compared to his normal monologues. But it was cosy and Tony actually found himself enjoying it.

"Won't Natasha kill you if she finds you guys in here? I thought you were meant to be convincing me to leave." Tony asked after a while.

"She's asleep," Clint supplied with a shrug. No one asked how he knew, they weren't sure that it was a story they wanted to hear – the assassins' relationship was mildly disturbing at best.

"Besides, before I got here you looked so much like a kicked puppy that I took pity on you," Bruce ribbed, but at least a part of it was genuine. The billionaire had looked miserable, and the doctor wasn't just going to stand that.

"I feel so loved," Tony grinned.

"This comes at a price you know. Pizza's on you when you get out of here."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll have JARVIS sort it out."

"You have a robot order you pizza?" Clint's eyebrows edged towards his hairline.

"Why not?"

"Don't the people at the pizza place get a little concerned when they answer the phone to hear a British, robotic voice asking for pepperoni?"

"Probably. But does it matter?" The archer shrugged.

"Not really. But I want to listen in on the conversation next time." Bruce snickered and Tony just looked bemused.

"Sure thing Feather Head."

**..**

_If I said there would be action this chapter, I'm sorry I lied. I went for bromance instead. I know that it's short but I wanted to get it out while I could._

_Also, I know the ending was abrupt. Sorry. Thanks for all the support :)_


	9. Chapter 9

When the alarm sirens started going off on the ship, the team was all gathered together in Tony's –slightly cramped – hospital room. Steve leapt to his feet in an instant, muscles snapping taught in anticipation while Bruce just flinched violently and shuddered. The billionaire thought he might have seen a flicker of green in the doctor's eyes for just a moment but then it was gone. Clint and Natasha just looked at each other without emotion showing on their faces, but a thousand words passing between them.

'_Look after yourself,' _his eyes said, and hers replied:

'_Only if you do.' _No one else apart from Tony seemed to notice. Seeing their concern for each other he suddenly found himself thanking his stars that Pepper was not onboard the helicarrier.

"Avengers!" Fury's voice rang through the intercom and every member of the team instantly shut up to listen; the director sounded more stressed usual and that never boded well. "I need you to suit up. Tony, that includes you."

There was a moment of silence where even the noise of the alarm seemed to fade and every pair of eyes swivelled to the man in the bed, wide and concerned. If Fury was willing to put the billionaire in the field when he wasn't one hundred percent, something must be _very_ wrong. Tony felt his heart beginning to pump adrenaline through his system and he sighed as the primal power surged through his veins.

"Director, what's happening?" Steve was right down to business, not allowing anything other than determination to show on his face.

"That creature you guys took care of the other day? It's back. And it brought friends." There was shouting in the background of the transmission that the others knew would be the main control room darting into action.

"How many _friends?" _Natasha asked, her voice low and controlled; she'd had her moment with Clint and now she was impenetrable again. There was silence for a good few minutes.

"We don't know. At least twenty." The team stared at each other in horror before Tony started pulling off the electrodes attached to his chest, making the machines beep wildly before the billionaire yanked their plugs out the wall.

"Taking down _one_ of these things almost killed Tony," Barton protested, eyeing the billionaire as he pulled on his shirt, ever mindful of the bandages still wrapped around his burned hands. The skin was almost healed but if he pulled the same stunt as before then it was likely that several vital nerves would be damaged and he could potentially lose use of his hands permanently.

On the other end of the line they heard Fury sigh.

"I know. I have S.H.I.E.L.D teams in the area moving to respond, but we're going to need you; they can't do this on their own." There was a moment of total silence, while the director shut away his pride. "Please."

"Well, I'm all for it," Tony said happily, grinning around at them. "Provided the bet's off of course."

Natasha glared at him and Clint chuckled at her frustration. Bruce and Steve nodded instantly, perfectly willing to let it go – they might want Tony to stay in bed but that obviously wasn't going to happen anytime soon. Thor didn't say anything – the money meant nothing to him but he had intended on using it to buy a present for Jane. That said, he would be happier fighting with the Man of Iron at his side.

"How about we put it on hiatus? The bet is null and void until _after _we defeat these creatures," Bruce offered, trying to placate the furious assassin. She nodded sharply and Tony winked at her; she stormed out of the room without looking back. Clint sent a frustrated look at the billionaire which only made Tony giggle, before trailing after her dejectedly.

Bruce helped Tony to extract himself from the bed, still a little tangled up with wires. Once he was standing he rolled out his shoulders and stretched his legs, getting used to the feeling of being upright again.

"Ok," he said to Bruce, smiling at the frowning doctor. "Let's go kick some alien ass."

**..**

Tony had a great sense of déjà vu. Here he was looking down at a giant space troll, knowing that he was going to have to fight it but without the faintest idea of how to do so – round one had hardly been a success.

"So how are we going to do this guys?" He asked the others who were in a quinjet hovering nearby.

"I don't suppose we can just drop a bomb on them or something?" Clint deadpanned. Through the open comm. link Tony was able to hear Natasha slap the archer and he grinned.

"Evacuated area or not, we can't just drop a nuke on their heads," she scolded.

"Why not?" Tony didn't think it would actually work, he just liked going toe to toe with the assassin; though only when out of arm's reach or safely confined in his suit – he wasn't a complete moron.

"Because it's rude. And 'cause Fury says so. Take it up with him."

"We're about to try and kill them and/or send them back from whence they came and all that. We're hardly being polite," the billionaire shot back half-heartedly. He really had no desire to get close to another WMD quite so soon after his last encounter.

"Stark if you can't concentrate, can you at least try not to actively distract the rest of the team?" Fury sounded annoyed.

"How is this my fault? Barton started it," he defended, outraged. Somewhere in the background the archer started to protest, but Natasha cut them both of with a snarl.

"Shut it you two. We need to focus."

"Which brings us back to the start of this merry conversation. What's our play?" The billionaire flinched slightly when one of the giant creatures looked up to stare at him; though the beast made no move to attack, the gaze was disconcerting.

"We need a way to get through that armour," Bruce observed, sounding thoughtful.

"I volunteer to _not _be put in charge of that again," Tony put in, but he was ignored.

"Brute force didn't do anything – the other guy couldn't even scratch it," the scientist murmured. The others listened patiently, long since used to the way the two geniuses would bounce ideas off one another. It could get a little tedious but they usually produced something good. "Something more subtle maybe?"

"Like what?" Fury asked.

"Acid," the doctor announced. Tony considered the idea from several minutes, factoring in the density of the plating as well as its possible reactivity, before nodding.

"That could work," he mused. "It would have to be strong though. Sulphuric?" The doctor mumbled his agreement. "You might want to get on that Nick," the billionaire told the director, who for once didn't argue the point about being given orders.

Tony was still being watched by the creature and it was really starting to weird him out. Slowly he reduced the power in his thrusters and he sunk to the sidewalk* gracefully, letting his face mask slide up to look the beast in the eyes. Through his communications he could hear the rest of the team shouting at him, demanding to know what he was doing but he ignored them.

"Do you speak English?" He shouted to the creature. It looked at him for a moment and Tony had the distinct impression that it was amused until, very slowly, it nodded at him. The billionaire had to contain the part of him that wanted to crow in surprised glee – here he was talking to a giant space creature like it was the most normal thing in the world. "Why have you come here?" There was a long beat of silence, where the world held its breath.

"We are travellers," he said eventually in a deep, rasping voice that made Tony's bones tremble. He flinched slightly as the noise rolled over him.

"Be very careful Tony," a voice murmured in his ear, but he didn't take the time to identify who it was.

"Do you mean us any harm?"

"We would not harm innocents." Again the billionaire had to recoil from the sheer force of that voice. It felt as though the very air around him was humming and his heart beat erratically in his chest. It took a moment to realise that he was trembling like a leaf.

"So we have nothing to fear from you, or your kind?"

"We would not harm innocents," the beast repeated. Tony felt his heart sink and his blood run cold; the creature hadn't exactly answered the question. He _really _didn't want to fight this thing.

"Do you see us as innocents?" Someone was hissing in his ear again, asking what the _hell _did he think he was doing but he focussed on ignoring them. The creature didn't respond for a moment, then looked up towards the sky, into an area where Tony knew the quinjet was still hovering.

"How do you see yourselves?" Now to that Tony didn't really have an answer. He just blinked for a moment, for the first time in his life speechless. Then he rallied himself, still ignoring the murmuring on his comm. and drawing on the famous Stark personality.

"Opinions vary. Depends on who you ask." He grinned, but it faltered when the great creature turned back to look at him, eyes dark and unreadable. Tony suddenly had the realisation that those eyes had seen a thousand worlds, and seen many a creature more fearsome than him – he was way out of his depth.

"And what is your opinion, Tony Stark?" The billionaire staggered back a step. That was just plain creepy. The voices of the rest of the team suddenly grew louder and more urgent but by this stage he was too surprised to even think of listening to them.

"How..." He started but even he could hear his voice choke with terror. He focussed on Pepper, pulling her face into his mind and picturing everything that made her the woman he loved. His resolve strengthened and he tried again, louder. "How do you know my name?"

"The name of this planet has been splashed through the stars, as have the names of its... defenders." Was that a mocking tone of voice? It sounded like it but then Tony wasn't really familiar with alien nuances.

"And what do these whispers say?"

"That you cannot be ruled." Tony flinched and through his comm. link he heard the rest of the team curse – that sounded far too much like Loki or the Chitauri. The billionaire didn't quite know how to answer that so he just stayed silent, staring the beast down, trying his best to look confident, even as his hands were shaking. After a moment that could have been no longer than a minute but that felt like an age, the creature continued talking. "We sent a scout here many days ago to see if this world could support us for a time. He did not return."

"Tony," Fury was talking quietly in his ear. "This is about to go South." The billionaire had already realised that of course but hearing someone like the director admit it had unleashed panic through his mind.

'_Keep it together. Their scout attacked _us._ Not the other way around. We were only defending ourselves.' _He was only trying to convince himself and it wasn't really working.

"What happened to him?" The creature asked, looking Tony in the eye – at least he thought it was, it was a little hard to tell. Under the force of that stare the billionaire couldn't lie.

"He attacked our people. We defended ourselves."

"So he is dead then." The creature sounded as though he had long since suspected as much but had been dreading the confirmation.

"I am sorry," Tony murmured, genuine pity in his voice. It would seem that the two species at least shared the emotions of grief if the way the creature had drawn into itself was any indication.

"Do you regret killing him, Tony Stark?" At this stage the billionaire didn't question how the beast knew that he had been the one to do it. For all his genius, he probably wouldn't understand anyway.

"I did it to protect my people. Would you not have done the same?"

"Tevanni protect their own."

"That is your name them? You are the Tevanni?" The creature ducked his head its strange equivalent of a nod. "Do the Tevanni mean any harm to Earth?"

"We are travellers. We do not harm those who grant us a home."

"Tony, we can't let them stay here." It was Bruce this time, quiet and calm as always. "The people would panic. Someone would attack them before they left."

"And to those who cannot offer you a home?"

"We are unwelcome on your planet?" Again, the creature didn't sound too surprised at this revelation, simply resigned.

"My world is not yet ready for new life. We are still recovering from the havoc the Chitauri and the war criminal Loki caused."

Tony saw the instant he said something wrong, even if he didn't know what. The creature in front of him tensed, the huge amounts of muscle all bulging under the armour plating. Its small eyes narrowed further in what looked like a glare. On instinct, Tony slipped the face mask down.

"We might have a problem," he warned the others, just as the beast charged at him with a feral roar.

**..**

_*Using this word actually hurts a little._

_I'm going to take this moment to say that I don't have a beta. I was reading through the last chapter and I was a little concerned with how many errors there were :/ From now on I'm going to be checking through my chapters so hopefully they should improve._

_I've had a few prompts for this story and I'm working on them, but if anyone else has any ideas, please send them my way. As I've said in the past, this story goes on until people are bored :)_

_I don't know with this chapter. It was a little bit odd towards the end. I don't even know what my fingers are typing anymore. _

_Also, I made the Tevanni up – they're not the work of Marvel._

_Final thing, I promise. I spent a long time replying to reviews the other day, though there were a lot I just had to leave (I'm so sorry to these people, I did read them all, I promise, but I couldn't reply to everything. I noticed that after a while I stopped signing them -Thorn, and had instead been writing -Thor. Apologies. I am not, in fact, a bulky, male God of Thunder. I am a seventeen year old female (though I do have long blonde hair...). I just thought I should clarify xD  
_


	10. Chapter 10

Tony threw himself into the air more on instinct than anything else. His thrusters sent him flying upwards, out of the path of the enraged Tevanni but he was a little too slow; one of the massive fists collided with one of his legs, knocking out the thruster there. He floundered for a moment before regaining is balance and hovering in the air well out of arms reach of the beast that had whirled to look at him with a glare.

"Tony? What's going on?" Natasha's voice was firm and it cut through whatever thoughts darted around the billionaire's head.

"I have _no _idea. I might need some help though," he was aware that he sounded a little breathless as the adrenaline began to flood his blood stream.

"What have you done _now?" _Fury demanded, irritated.

"I didn't do _anything!_" He retorted, a little bit offended. "The thing just charged at me. No provocation or anything." The beast in question hadn't moved, just continued to stare at him with what looked like hatred – to Tony at least.

"Are you alright?" Bruce that time, forever the worrier.

"It took out a thruster but I'm ok. It won't stop staring at me though." Just as he finished speaking the huge creature opened his maw and roared at him, a sound so deep and booming that Tony felt his bones shaking apart. On instinct he tried to bring his hands up to cover his ears before he realised that he was in his suit and the movement would be fruitless – the action upset his balance enough that he wobbled dangerously in the air, flailing to restore the equilibrium.

For a moment there was complete silence, when the world just blinked in shock and then Tasha was screaming into her comm. again.

"_Tony, behind you!" _He spun automatically at the warning in time to see a huge shadow falling through the air directly at him. There was no time to act as the hulking mass of the alien crashed into him, knocking him cleanly out of the sky and slamming him into the unforgiving sidewalk. The chest plate of his suit had bent inwards under the force of the blow but he could still breathe – he was counting that as a win.

"Shit, where the _hell _are you guys?" He yelled into his comm. link as he hurriedly tried to pull himself from the crater he had created and away from the Tevanni that had landed beside him. This one was far smaller than the one he had talked to – who, he decided, must be the leader – but it was still huge, with muscles that looked strong enough to tear him limb from limb. The most alarming detail however was the long thin piece of metal that resembled a sword grasped in one of its claw-like hands.

In response to his question the automatic machine gun mounted on the front of the quinjet activated and the air was filled with the thunderous noise of bullets. Tony took the beast's momentary distraction to pick himself up and haul ass out of there, narrowly avoiding fire himself and rocketing up into the air.

From his new vantage point he could see the rest of the Tevanni crowding together near the leader, moving like an organised unit; it looked almost military.

"Ok, does anyone have any clue as to what is going on?" He snapped into the comms, thanking any deities out there that he voice wasn't trembling as much as he was. That was something that he would never live down.

"Yeah, you pissed them off," Clint observed sardonically, sounding as though he wasn't really concentrating on the conversation; focusing on the controls of the jet Tony assumed.

"But I didn't _do _anything!"

"You're you Tony. Your very presence has aggravated me in the past," Natasha replied, sounding pissy. The billionaire flinched.

"I don't really think we can put this on Tony guys," Bruce argued back. Any further conversation was cut off by Fury as he practically growled at them.

"Heads in the game, team!" He ordered. "Agent Hill is working on a weapon to fight these guys with. We have a plan, but it's all or nothing." As he spoke, Tony was forced to dart higher into the air as one of the enraged creatures hurled a motorcycle at him that had been discarded in the middle of the street. He grimaced behind the face mask, idly noting that the machine gun had fallen silent and the quinjet was hovering beside him. The Tevanni were all glaring up at them with their tiny, dark eyes – it was like a scene from a zombie film.

"Care to fill us in?"

"Our engines contain acid, like car batteries. But far larger."

"And you can weaponize it but in doing so you compromise your precious ship," Stark guessed, his voice filled with a little more bitterness than he had intended.

"We could stay in the air but our systems would be shot," Fury admitted after a long moment. Somewhere, one of the team cursed softly.

Another piece of unidentifiable rubble flew out of nowhere and Stark was forced into action again, moving away from the less maneuverable quinjet to draw fire towards him instead. Flying with only three of his four thrusters was not a good plan and he was struggling to maintain his balance; fighting would be almost impossible from the air.

"We don't have another choice," Natasha was saying, sounding grave. "We can't fight these things."

"Then clear out of the way," came the order and Clint immediately fired up the quinjet. Tony was about to follow suit when a group of the Tevanni broke off from the main group with wild shouts in a language Tony didn't speak and began heading after the jet.

"_Damn_. If we go, the pack will break up; you'll never hit them all," he observed breathlessly, half a plan already forming in his mind.

"Tony, whatever you want to do, _no,_" Bruce hissed at him. He was ignored.

"My suit is faster than the jet. I can catch up in a minute; I'll just keep them distracted until Fury can fire." He was already looping around in the air, drawing the individuals that had taken off after the others back into the main crowd.

"Of all the stupid plans Stark, this has got to be number one," Natasha growled at him.

"I don't know, flying through a portal with a nuclear missile wasn't exactly genius," he admitted, trying to cover the way he was breathing heavily, the missing thruster making movements in his suit heavy and laboured. Still, it seemed to be working – none of the Tevanni had left – but they were getting riled. More and more pieces of debris were being hurled in his direction and he swore loudly as what looked like a chunk of concrete crashed into his side, throwing him sideways like a rag doll.

"Stark! I'm turning the jet around," Clint announced suddenly.

"No! Trust me on this one; I'll be able to clear out in time." Stark sounded earnest and the rest of the team found themselves conceding. The suit was _fast_ and though the quinjets were hardly slow, the billionaire could quite easily fly laps around them even when they were at full speed – he'd done it on more than one occasion, just to prove a point.

"The helicarrier is in position. We need another minute at most," Fury informed them calmly.

Tony's heart was thumping heavily in his chest and his lungs burned from the exertion. The bent in chest piece was really starting to bother him; it made movements more awkward and he was fairly sure that at least one internal system was compromised, though going by the flickering HUD it was probably at least three or four.

'_How do I keep getting into these situations?' _He asked himself with sardonic humour just as he threw himself out the path of yet another projectile. The leader of the Tevanni was shouting something in the same language the other creatures had and though Tony couldn't understand the words, it sounded a lot like orders of some kind; for reasons he couldn't quite fathom, it made chills run down his spine.

"Where are you Fury?" He yelled as he narrowly avoided one of the Tevanni's makeshift weapons when he made the mistake of flying too close. There was a beat of silence, then:

"We're ready. Get out of the way!"

He didn't have to be told twice and he twisted around in mid air, shooting off as fast as his incomplete thrusters could take him. He could hear the noise of the helicarrier's engines and then the air was filled with the horrible, bone shattering screams of the Tevanni. The howling tore through Tony like a thousand knives had penetrated his suit and the billionaire almost tumbled from the sky as he cringed against the onslaught; very distantly he realised that he was shouting, though he hadn't the faintest idea what words fell from his lips.

'_Keep going Tony, you stop now and you're dead,' _his self preservation ordered, finally kicking in and instructing him through the movements. Level the thrusters. Lean forwards. Calculate speed and trajectory, factor in gravitational pull. _Keep moving._

It took him a second to realise that he could hear rain over the sounds of the agonised creatures behind him – that unmistakable sound of liquid pinging off metal.

'_Oh,' _he realised suddenly, feeling a little dazed. _'It's acid. There's acid hitting my suit.' _Now he concentrated, there was the sound of fizzing as the gold-titanium alloy burned away, revealing vulnerable circuits and wires that sparked angrily, burning his skin. He hissed, pushing himself faster; he had to clear the area before his suit gave out on him.

"Clint, you might have to swing by and pick me up," he warned but all he could hear in response was static.

'_Damn it.' _He cursed just as one of his hand repulsors spluttered and went out; his path swerved alarmingly before he was able to compensate. He had to land. If he didn't it was likely that he would be meeting concrete face first at an alarming speed - that was never fun, he knew from past experience but with a compromised suit it could very well be fatal. He couldn't tell if he was clear or not but he dropped to the ground anyway, stooping into a random building for some protection just in case.

From what he could tell most of his systems were entirely shot, including communications. He cursed fluently under his breath as he yanked off his helmet and dropped it onto a table beside him, glancing around for the first time to find himself in a deserted office. He tried one of the phones but the line was dead – the acid had probably destroyed the power lines.

The billionaire was just considering what else could possibly go wrong when he heard the very distinctive sound of a Tevanni roar. Right outside. Barely ten metres away.

'_Well damn.'_

**..**

_I really really really don't like this chapter. Like, it's terrible. But I wasn't going to make you wait any longer, especially as you've all been so patient. Basically, I hit some major writers block. If you want a full description of why this took so damn long there is a complete explanation in the new chapter of my fic Taken (which might not be out for a little while :/ ) That's completely not a shameless plug for you to go read it... Either way, my apologies for the long wait. _

_After this, there is actual storyline for once. Yay! I have a couple of things mapped out – the Tevanni bore unexpected fruit, to steal the words of Raza (sort of). _


	11. Chapter 11

_Yay, I'm back! It took a while (read as 'forever'). Just to say, I made some tweaks to the previous chapter but nothing major. That's one of the reasons this took so long. Another reason is Tumblr. Serious, that shit is addictive and now I have an account. This does not bode well for my update time :/_

_This is not beta'ed cause it was already taking too long. __**Meowse**__ I swear I'm bringing you in on the next chapter._

* * *

Tony peeked over the table he was crouched behind, watching the stray Tevanni out of a broken window carefully. The beast was poking idly at some rubble and for now seemed unaware of the billionaire's presence, something that he was grateful for. His suit couldn't take another pounding.

The helmet of the suit still sat across the room where he had dropped it and he cursed softly when he realised that it was just laying there in plain sight.

'_Way to go genius,' _he berated himself silently. _'Where the hell is the rest of the team?' _As soon as he thought it there was a whir and the air once again exploded with the sound of a machine gun. From his limited view he couldn't see the quinjet but the flashes of bullets ricocheting of the Tevanni's armour plating gave him a vague idea of its position. The massive creature roared, whirling around madly to find the source of its distress – the well trained soldier-like movements Tony had observed before were completely gone.

He didn't have time to wonder about that before Clint's voice was bellowing at him through a loud speaker.

"Stark, get your ass to the roof right now!" Tony didn't waste another second, lunging forward to grab his helmet and racing towards a door, helpfully signed with the word 'stairs.' On open ground, unencumbered by the suit, the engineer was _fast. _He had put a lot of time into training since becoming Iron Man and a benefit of that was that his muscles were strong and quick – he could run faster than pretty much anyone (except for Natasha and perhaps Clint but that wasn't exactly a fair comparison). Right now though, he was in a metal suit of armour that was heavy and unforgiving, not to mention completely fried; moving was a thousand times harder than normal.

Behind him, he could hear the Tevanni tear through the wall in pursuit now that it had worked out where he was and it was gaining on him.

'_Faster Tony,' _he urged himself, throwing himself into a sprint and ignoring his aching muscles. The suit protested noisily as various twisted, damaged plates crashed together, no doubt angering the beast behind him more. Tony crashed through the door just before the Tevanni could pounce on him. The creature smashed into the wall instead, too large to fit through the door frame.

As the billionaire started pounding his way up the stairs he could hear the enormous animal trying to tear down the wall to get after him. Over the noise of falling rubble and screeching metal he couldn't hear the quinjet anymore but Tony was praying that it was on the roof waiting – it was going to be a close one.

He'd just passed the third floor when there was a roar of triumph from the Tevanni and it was clawing its way after him, slowed down in the too-small space. Despite that, it was still catching up to Tony who was now panting with the exertion and was flagging dramatically. The suit was a dead weight around him and his heart raced within his chest, beating to the rhythm of his heavy footsteps on the concrete stairs.

It wasn't until he was two floors down from the roof that he faltered, stumbling over a step. The Tevanni lashed out, just skimming the suit with a terrible noise of tearing metal. Tony lurched to his feet again and dived clear of the flailing limb, only just avoiding a clobbering as he started climbing once more. The beast was just behind him now, grunting and roaring in equal measure as it tore its way through the building when there was insufficient space to allow it through. The billionaire was reminded of a lion in a cage, clawing at meat just beyond its reach.

Tony burst onto the roof with an audible cheer of relief but the emotion was short lived. With a final burst of primal power, the Tevanni smashed his way through the building, rubble flying everywhere – including at Stark. A particularly solid piece of concrete slammed into the back of his suit and he was thrown forward, hitting the floor face first and cracking his head hard against the unforgiving surface. His thoughts swam for a moment but he shook it off, he couldn't lose focus right now.

Rolling, he saw the Tevanni approaching slowly and his heart sunk.

"_Tony!" _The shout came out of nowhere and before he could turn to look something huge and green was smashing into the creature advancing on him, knocking them both clean off the roof and out of sight. He could hear the two beings wrestling somewhere below him.

Thor was at his side, prodding his shoulder and Tony turned to looked at him jerkily – maybe he had hit his head harder than he thought, everything seemed a little fuzzy.

"Man of Iron, we must depart. Are you injured?" He shook his head and allowed himself to be pulled to his feet, suddenly realising that his helmet was miraculously still clenched in one hand.

As soon as the two of them set foot inside the jet, Clint was whisking them away and Natasha was turning around from the co-pilot's seat to berate him for his stupidity – again – but he wasn't really listening. He nodded in all the right places and tried his best to look ashamed or repentant but she wasn't fooled. Master spy after all.

"Are you even listening to me Stark?"

"Is there a correct answer to that question?"

"Probably not."

"Then no, not really." She started looking a little pissy but he just looked at her pitifully. "Can you not wait to yell at me until later? I have a headache."

"I'll wait. But bear in mind that you'll have Bruce to deal with later too, once the other guy has a nap." Tony grimaced at her but let it lie. There was a long moment of silence and then Tasha got up from her seat and approached the billionaire, examining the cut on his head that he had gained from his dramatic faceplant. Thor and Steve watched them silently. "The headache probably means you have a concussion."

"Probably," he agreed, then swore as she shone a penlight – _'where the hell did that come from?' _– directly into one of his eyes. "Damn it Natasha!"

"Stop being such a baby. Seriously, I've known three year olds that are more tolerant than you."

"Then go and find a three year old and shine a light in his face. I'll be fine."

"Famous last words Stark."

"If I drop dead you can write 'I told you so' on my tombstone. Happy?" She glared at him and he grinned back, wincing a little as his head throbbed.

"You know, there are painkillers in the medkit but oh, I forgot. You don't need my help." It was her turn to grin.

"You're a cruel woman," he told her petulantly, pouting a little. Thor actually giggled. Steve just remained impassive but the billionaire had a sneaking suspicion that he found this whole situation hilarious.

"You knew that already." Tony attempted a nod at that and then aborted the movement as his head screamed in agony. "Here," Tasha said, handing him an innocent white tablet. He dry swallowed it without complaint, already prepared for the effects of the drug. It was something that S.H.I.E.L.D had developed in association with the medical branch of Stark Industries: a painkiller that took effect within two minutes and was remarkably effective. The main problem was that it was incredibly expensive to make and so couldn't really be released to the general public. Oh, and it may cause mild hallucinations. Nothing to worry about.

"Could have just given me Tylenol," he told her after a moment. She was watching him very closely and merely shrugged.

"Who's to say I didn't?"

"Unless Thor recently dyed his hair pink and I didn't notice, I really don't think you did." At this, Steve cracked up and the demigod frowned.

"My hair is not pink friend Stark. Are you well?" For reasons that he would later blame entirely on the drug in his system, Tony found the comment hilarious. Within a few seconds, the billionaire was on the floor of the jet, curled into a ball, laughing so hard it hurt. In the background the two spies were trying to explain to Thor and Steve the nature of the drug and trying to convince him that Tony hadn't actually gone insane and there was nothing to worry about; it only made him laugh more.

"Tony, it's not that funny. Calm the fuck down," Clint said eventually. He tried to sober himself but he was still giggling when the jet approached the helicarrier. Nat informed him that another jet had been sent to pick up Bruce for when he calmed down again and to make sure that the Tevanni was neutralised. Tony wanted to ask about that but then they arrived and Fury was there and _'oh god he has a rainbow coat. His coat is a mother fucking rainbow.' _He was lost in hysterical giggling before the director could even ask what was happening.

* * *

Tony awoke the next morning in the room reserved for him on the helicarrier with a massive headache and stiff muscles. He stretched, wincing as bruised muscles shifted under his skin unpleasantly and made a mental note to install those impact upgrades he'd been thinking about for the suit. There was a tablet on his bedside table and he poked at the blank screen to wake it up.

"You there J?"

"Always Sir," JARVIS replied, polite as always.

"What time is it?"

"It's two fifteen in the afternoon sir. You have been asleep for nineteen hours."

"You didn't think to wake me up?" He asked, a little annoyed that he'd been left to sleep for so long. Normally he wouldn't care but there was actually something happening at the moment and he wanted to be a part of it.

"Director Fury ordered that you be allowed to sleep off the drug sir. He said that it was... not prudent for you to wander the halls of the helicarrier declaring that he was 'a fairy from another dimension, here to shower us all with smiles and cookies and rainbows.'"

"I said that?"

"You did sir. I have video footage if you want evidence." Tony grimaced. That was sure to hit Youtube soon enough if it hadn't already and that meant that he would have a very annoyed Pepper on his back unless he was careful.

"Delete it."

"It is on S.H.I.E.L.D servers sir, I do not have sufficient security status to be given control of such data."

"Who the hell cares? Hack it and delete it."

"Yes sir. Though I feel it wise to inform you that records show several copies of such footage have been made and the whereabouts of such files are currently unknown."

"Perfect," he muttered, rubbing his eyes with a sigh. His head was pounding away as if there was a miniature Thor in his brain, trying to break out with Mjölnir. "Where is everyone else?"

"Master Odinson is with Director Fury in his office. Doctor Banner, Captain Rogers and Agents Barton and Romanoff are all in the common room." Tony sighed again – he really didn't want a grilling from Bruce or Steve but they just had to sit in the room with the coffee machine, didn't they? Knowing Banner, he'd probably done it on purpose.

Still, whatever danger he may be in from vengeful, worried teammates, the threat of no coffee with a headache of this magnitude was far worse. Forcing himself onto unsteady feet, he pushed himself upright and staggered forwards, barely glancing down to make sure he was decent before he made his way down the hall to the common room frequented by the team. The rest of the S.H.I.E.L.D agents stayed away, so they normally had it to themselves.

As soon as he appeared in the doorway, Clint burst into laughter, ignoring the glare Tony sent him. Without saying a word, the billionaire strolled over to the coffee machine and began jabbing at buttons – no self respecting machine should need buttons. That's what voice interfaces and holograms were for. Barbarians.

"Are you having issues over there?" Bruce asked him with faux casualness, barely suppressing his giggles. Tony glared at him too.

"I'm just fine, thanks," he hissed. The doctor shook his head with a slight smile. Natasha was watching him like a cat might watch a mouse but she said nothing, her face giving nothing away. Steve was frowning slightly but at least he wasn't yelling – Tony didn't think his head would stand that. Clint still couldn't stop laughing.

"How's the head?" Bruce asked, just as the coffee machine figured out what he wanted and set about doing its job.

"_Fine,_" he shot back, biting the words out. It took a lot to embarrass the great Tony Stark but wandering the halls of one of the most secure facilities in the world declaring that the most uptight and downright creepy man in existence was a rainbow fairy from another world just might do it. Barton wasn't helping.

"It wasn't that bad you know," Natasha offered, looking pensive. "I thought the whole thing was rather amusing."

"Well that's nice. At least when Fury decides to paint this ship with my entrails, I'll have died knowing that I entertained the great Black Widow." He bowed slightly, using the hand that wasn't gripping a steaming coffee cup to tip an imaginary hat. He straightened with a scowl. "I'm a dead man."

"Fury won't kill you."

"Want to bet?"

"No."

Clint was beginning to sober up at this stage, wiping genuine tears from his eyes. He looked up at Tony with a strange combination of awe and admiration.

"Stark, whatever happens from this point on, you're awesome man. Like, I can die happy now that I've seen that." Bruce chuckled as the archer pressed a hand over his heart. "You're my hero. Whatever you need, it's yours."

"Save me from Fury." Clint immediately shook his head.

"No can do. Sorry." The funny thing was that he looked genuinely repentant and Tony found himself laughing, despite his terror and mortification. As soon as he began to laugh, Bruce stopped trying to remain calm and allowed himself to break down into remarkably girly giggles, which in turn made Clint guffaw like he was choking on something. Natasha watched them, amused, while Steve just looked entirely lost.

After a solid minute of watching the others in hysterics, the captain leaned over to the spy.

"What's happening?" Natasha blinked at him, then looked at the rest of the team – apart from Thor – and sighed.

"Cap, I've absolutely no idea."

* * *

_So yeah. I made Tony stoned. Why? you may ask. Cause why the hell not, that's why._

_This chapter is just for fun. It's not meant to make sense. Storyline can come later. Banter is more fun._

_About the whole Tumblr thing, I was planning on posting some stories and stuff there, so if you wanna go check it out, that would be awesome. Same username as FF. This totally isn't a shameless plug for followers or anything... xD I'm a terrible person._

_This story is taking a turn back into light hearted banter I have decided, cause it's so much fun to write. If you want whump or angst go read my other story 'Taken.' It has plenty of both. Or go and find another author, that's cool too. _


	12. Chapter 12

_WE HAVE A BETA :D This has been beta'ed by the wonderful **Meowse**, many thanks to her._

* * *

By the time the team had sobered up enough to talk again, Tony's head was pounding viciously once more and his body felt like it had been dragged over rocks. The coffee hadn't helped as much as he had hoped it would.

"Seriously Tony, you look a little pale. Are you sure you're alright?" Bruce sounded concerned to the casual observer but the billionaire knew there was more to it than that. The doctor wanted to know if he could yell at him yet. He grimaced.

"I'm sure I'll survive. Get it all out your system now Bruce." That was all it took for the doctor to lose any reserve he had previously held.

"What the hell did you think you were doing? It's not your job to throw your life away for no good reason! Putting yourself in needless danger is not why you're on the team!"

Steve had perked up suddenly and added his own voice to the yelling. "You can't just disobey direct orders because you don't feel like they're the right thing to do! If Clint had circled the jet back round to pick you up any sooner it could have put the whole team in danger, just because you wanted the limelight."

Tony let them yell themselves into silence, listening but not necessarily letting the words get to him. Each statement stung as much as it was supposed to and he winced a few times but they slid off quickly; the team was just worried about him. When silence fell once more he sighed and rubbed at his eyes, doing his best to look alert and not like he was about to keel over even if that did sound like a nice way out.

"I'm sorry," he told them sincerely. He didn't mean to make them worry but he'd do the same thing next time if that was what it took to keep them all safe. "I wasn't trying to put anyone else in danger. I was trying to keep you _safe. _The Tevanni were going to follow the jet unless I kept them distracted and if they'd gotten away from the group then we could have faced even larger destruction."

"And what about your safety?" Bruce asked, but it looked like he already knew the answer.

"I guess I didn't really think about me so much." He shrugged and the doctor scowled.

"'Cause you're an idiot," he admonished but then he smiled fondly and Tony automatically knew that he was forgiven. Steve looked less sure but the harsh line of his brow softened and he nodded slowly.

"Don't do it again?"

"Whatever you say Cap," Tony told him with a sneaky grin and just like that, the whole argument was put behind them and forgotten about, not to be spoken of again. It was a strange system they had worked out from the very beginning... after the whole portal of death thing.

"So, what are my odds?" The billionaire asked Clint after a minute. The archer blinked at him.

"I'm sorry?"

"Oh please. We bet on everything. Last week we bet on the colour of the next shirt Bruce will inadvertently destroy-"

"-You owe me ten bucks by the way," Clint broke in while the doctor in question scowled at them.

"-so I'm guessing you have odds on what method of torture Fury's cooked up for me." The archer smiled widely, looking positively gleeful and Tony swallowed. It couldn't be that bad, could it?

_'Rainbow fairy, Tony,' _he reminded himself. Of course it wouldn't be that bad. It would be worse.

"Well. We have yet to get Thor's vote, since he's still chatting with the man himself. But I'm personally going for him throwing you off the deck of the helicarrier."

"I think he'll make sure you go through one of the engines first," Tasha put in with a wicked smile. "Agent Hill said that Fury would have you help 'train' some of the advanced combat agents."

"Poison," Bruce chimed, actually bothering to look a little remorseful.

"He'll lock you in one of the airtight vents and watch you suffocate," Steve said with a certainty that was frankly a little alarming.

"Well aren't you the cheerful one," Tony told him but he laughed anyway. Might as well be laughing in your final moments, right? "Put me down for..." He paused for a long moment, thinking hard. "I think he'll put me in Loki's old cage and vent me," he said eventually. Clint giggled and nodded furiously while the others murmured their agreement.

"It was nice knowing you Tony," Bruce told him, clapping him on the back. The billionaire glared at him.

"So, before my inevitable demise, care to tell me what happened with the Tevanni? I think I must have missed something. Did the acid work?" It really should have been the first thing he asked but the team was relaxed and calm - it had slipped his mind in the peaceful surroundings.

"Sort of," Steve told him but said nothing further. Tony automatically looked at Bruce; the fellow English-speaker was generally better at explaining things like this after the fact and he could be trusted to leave nothing of importance out.

"When they realised that they were in danger they all started to vanish... Literally just disappear. The energy signatures we were able to pick up seem consistent with the portal the Chitauri used in New York and the Bifrost Thor jumps around in. We assume they returned to wherever they came from. A couple lingered around - like the one that almost took you out - but after a while they went of their own accord too."

"And the one that chased me?"

"When I saw him going for you... You weren't moving and I lost it a little. Or a lot. But after going against the other guy for a few rounds it vanished as well. Or so I'm told." The scientist shrugged as though he hadn't just had a fist fight with an enormous alien troll.

"Thanks for that by the way," Tony told him with a smile.

"He says you're welcome."

"You can't talk to him."

"Sure I can."

"No you can't. But either way, I wasn't just talking to him." Before Bruce could shrug that off too, Tony gave him a heavy look and for a stretched moment they shared a private conversation before the doctor just nodded slightly, accepting the thanks wordlessly. The billionaire was determined to make Bruce see the wonderful person he really was, no matter how blind the doctor was determined to be.

Clint coughed with all the subtlety of a brick to the face and their little moment fractured again. No one mentioned it.

They kept chatting for a while, enjoying the easy going peace but Tony knew that it couldn't last forever. Joking aside, Fury was going to be pissy and there was still the whole Tevanni problem to worry about. Just because they were gone didn't mean that they couldn't come back again and they needed a weapon to fight with.

The acid was a good start, it had clearly affected the creatures far more than anything else they had tried, but it hadn't killed them and they had no way to inspect the damage done. Apart from that it had taken out the helicarrier; it wasn't exactly the best fallback plan in the world. And they still didn't know why Tony had been attacked in the first place.

It was a great big mess and somehow, Tony knew that it was going to come back and bite him on the ass.

* * *

Standing in front of Fury's desk was much like standing in front of the headmaster's desk on the first day of school, waiting to be yelled at. Except Tony was fairly sure that there were laws against schools executing their pupils; in S.H.I.E.L.D there was no such restriction.

When the director strolled into the room looking as smug as a cat with cream Tony may or may not have squeaked.

"So, err," he started, fidgeting madly. "Why did you need to see me?" Fury just gave him one of those looks that made chills run down his spine. "I should probably tell you that if you have me killed, Stark Industries will sue."

"With you dead, stocks will plummet and S.H.I.E.L.D could buy out the other stock holders with ease," the director informed him calmly, sounding as though he was discussing the weather. The creepy thing was that he was right; it sounded like a lot of thought had gone into this plan.

"Err, alright then. I don't think I have a will. Give everything to Pepper. And a lab to Bruce." Fury raised an eyebrow but didn't comment, sitting behind his desk and gesturing for Tony to do the same, even though the billionaire was too jumpy to sit down right now.

"Perhaps that won't be necessary. Despite what some people say, you can be useful at times. It'd be a shame to have to kill you."

"Good to know."

"Actually I was going to ask you about the Tevanni. I thought you might have some idea as to why they decided to attack you...?"

"Umm..." Thrown for a loop Tony was forced to scrabble for an answer. "I really don't know. One minute everything was fine and the suddenly I'm on their hit list. I have no idea why. Something I said?" Fury looked unimpressed. "Maybe he just didn't like me."

"I can understand that," The director murmured, flicking through a file in front of him. "Alright then. If they return we'll ask them, shall we?"

"I vote one of the others doing the talking this time."

"Noted."

"Am I done then?"

"Not quite. A project for you and Doctor Banner." He pushed the file towards the billionaire. "If they do come back, we need to be prepared."

"You want us to build a weapon."

"That's right. I hear you're good at that." Tony flinched visibly at the accusation there and he felt something close to shame coil in his gut.

"I thought everyone knew? I don't make weapons anymore."

"Look Stark," Fury started in a voice that meant business. "I don't really give a damn what you have to tell yourself to sleep at night but you're the best. And right now, that's what S.H.I.E.L.D needs. I give you my word that these weapons will only ever be used against the Tevanni and will never be sold to another organisation."

"Not good enough," Tony told him, his voice steel. "And trust me, when Tony Stark doesn't want to do something, he doesn't do it. Ask the Ten Rings."

"Is that a threat?"

"Friendly advice."

"That so? Stark, I'm not giving you a choice here. We need you in on this."

"No," he told him firmly, glaring. "Find someone else."

Fury just looked at him for a long moment, a combination of annoyed and furious before it faded back behind the wall of calm. Pressing a button on his desk, two agents almost immediately entered the room; Tony's muscles tightened instantly at the threat.

"Escort Mr. Stark to the holding cell. Gently, if you please." One of the agents put a hand on his arm, but Tony jerked out from underneath it, glaring daggers at Fury. He was going to _lock him up_?

Stalking from the room, he quickly typed out a text to Pepper, warning her of what was happening. He sent it just before one of the agents snatched it out of his hand.

"You're to be given no technology," the man told him in a heavily accented voice.

_'Well that figures,' _he thought to himself. Fury wasn't completely stupid.

It wasn't until the glass door closed behind him that Tony realised he'd won the bet - sort of. The look his guards gave him when he cracked up laughing was hysterical.

* * *

"Fury really wants to keep you in here?"

"It's a new take on the naughty corner, I'll give you that."

"This is ridiculous."

"Tell that to him."

"I tried."

"You could threaten to hulk out. Then he might stick you in here instead." Tony grinned at his friend's scowl.

"Then _I'd _be stuck in a cage. Not my favourite plan."

"Take one for the team, man."

"No. The last time I saved your ass I ended up destroying my favourite shirt. That _was_ me taking one for the team. Your turn."

"This is completely different. You have a Stark credit card remember? Buy another shirt. Buy another hundred shirts; at the rate you go through them, you'll need them. I'm seriously concerned that Fury isn't planning on feeding me any time soon."

"You won't starve, I'm sure."

"A little sympathy wouldn't go amiss you know."

"I'm just curious as to why you haven't broken out yet. It's an electronic system. That's kind of your gig."

"Fury's a dick who plans ahead. He had me upgrade the security systems in here months ago. If I touch any wires in here at all, the floor will vanish."

"You can't get out because of your own security system?" Bruce sounded suspiciously like he was trying not to laugh.

"This _isn't _funny."

"No, of course it isn't," he reassured, but he was grinning.

"Fury, I've changed my mind!" He called to one of the many cameras in the room. "If I die, don't give Bruce anything!"

"What was I getting?" The doctor asked him curiously.

"I had something good planned. Your own lab, special equipment... I guess it doesn't matter now," he taunted. Bruce chuckled.

"Should I leave you to your hissy fit then?" He took a few warning steps towards the door, watching with vindictive satisfaction as panic flitted across Tony's face; trapped in the glass box with nothing to entertain him, the billionaire was going crazy.

Noticing the smile, Tony glared at the doctor. "You're a very cruel man."

"Bite me."

"The other guy might not enjoy that." Bruce just winked at him but he wandered back over to the glass again, away from the door. "You know Fury is going to kick your ass out of here soon right? The only way this is going to work for him is if I'm suffering."

"You haven't talked JARVIS in at least nine hours now. I'd say you're already suffering."

"You know what I mean."

"I'll just threaten to hulk out right?"

"Sounds like a plan. Though knowing Fury he'd toss you in here with me and shoot you. Let the hulk take me out of the equation." Tony had meant it as a jest, but for half a second pure terror flashed over the doctor's face - it was his greatest fear, hurting one of the team when he lost control. The billionaire swore. "I didn't mean that Bruce. Bruce. Bruce, look at me."

"I'm alright Tony."

"No, you're not 'cause I'm an ass who doesn't have a filter between his brain and his mouth. I trust you, you know that. And I trust the hulk too. Neither of you are going to hurt me."

"You can't know that."

"But I do. And I'm a genius. My word is gospel."

"So Fury really _is _an inter-dimensional fairy? I'd always wondered." The sudden snap from serious to joking left Tony feeling a little dazed but he could help but laugh at the reminder. It felt nice to laugh at Fury's expense, especially when he was the reason he was stuck in an oversized jar.

When they calmed themselves down Bruce glanced over his shoulder at the door and Tony immediately tensed again.

"Tony..."

"You have work to be doing and I'm keeping you from it." The doctor looked like he felt terrible and Tony appreciated how hard Bruce found it to leave him like this. "It's fine. We can catch up later. I'm not exactly going anywhere."

"You're sure you don't mind?"

"I'm sure I can cope."

"I don't want you to go crazy and start poking at random wires. You might fall through the floor remember?"

"I'll keep that in mind."

Bruce said his goodbyes and was gone quickly, seeming unwilling to linger. Tony decided not to think about that. Instead he whiled away his time by hurling abuse and jokes alike at the cameras constantly fixed on him, content in the knowledge that somewhere on the ship, Fury's blood pressure was through the roof.

"So 'Real Power' gets offered a magazine and I don't? That's cold Nick, ice cold."

* * *

_I assume wills work the same way in America as they do in England. I really haven't the faintest idea about American inheritance law._

_I actually like Fury. For reasons I don't quite understand, I made him an ass in this chapter. Sorry._


	13. Chapter 13

"Honestly, I'm impressed. I didn't think you'd last this long." Fury was smiling in a self assured way that instantly set Tony on edge.

_'Laugh it up you smug git,' _he thought to himself. _'I'm not giving you anything.'_

"Have you reconsidered your position on the matter at hand?"

"You mean, have I decided to go back on everything I've said and done for the last few years? Strange as it may seem, I haven't." Fury scowled at him, hearing the iron note in Tony's voice that no one could bend.

"I don't think you fully understand what's at stake here."

"I could say the same for you. If I don't help you and they come back, we're weaponless. But then, we were before and we're all still standing. If I _do _help you and they come back we could - in theory - fight back with enough force to either kill them or make them think twice about ever returning here." The billionaire raised his eyebrows as though he was expecting Fury to continue the thought, his face falling when he was met with blankness.

"I don't see the downside."

"Of course you don't because you don't _think,_" Tony snapped at him, too annoyed with the director to try patience. "Say I make you this weapon, then what? One thing I learned a long time ago was that once you have an idea you can never take it back again. If I created a weapon, even if you promised to never sell it on or use it without due cause it would still be there and who's to say that someone wouldn't get their hands on it?"

"Despite what you might think we do have _some _security."

"That I got through in less than an hour. If you had a mole it could take you weeks to discover them and that's ample time for even the most mentally challenged hacker." Fury glared at him for a long moment, arms folded tightly across his chest - an imposing sight for most. Tony was sat in the middle of his cell with his legs crossed looking completely at ease but for the tenseness of his muscles and the slight twitching of his fingers. In truth he wanted out. _Needed_ it. Being stuck in the cage without anything to keep his mind occupied was a kind of torture that most people couldn't even comprehend and it was killing him.

Tony was a genius. His brain was like a computer that just wouldn't shut off - somewhere in all the layers of schematics and plans he had managed to lose the off switch and now without sufficient stimulation it was racing out of control, burning up like a meteorite. He was developing nervous ticks that hadn't surfaced since Afghanistan and he was vaguely aware that if he didn't get out of here soon he was going to start jabbing at wires until either the door opened or - more likely - he killed himself. But no matter what happened to him, he just couldn't give Fury what he wanted - if he did then the only part of him that counted for anything was dead already and he wasn't just being melodramatic.

"You know, I've been talking to Miss Potts today," Fury started after a long pause. Tony tried and failed to hide his sudden interest; Pepper hadn't been allowed in to see him once though Bruce had assured him on one of his regular visits that she was trying her level best.

"How did that go for you?"

"She's an opinionated woman."

"You don't know the half of it."

"She was trying to convince me to let you out of here. I must admit she almost had me convinced." Fury smiled in a way that made Tony's hair stand on end; it was a dangerous smile that promised consequences that would be less than pleasant.

"Nicky, I'm going to level with you here," the billionaire started, pushing himself to his feet and ignoring the glare the nickname earned him. "I'm not going to help you make weapons. I just _can't. _But _if _the Tevanni do come back, you're going to need my help and I'm going to be of little use if I've gone stir crazy from being stuck in this jar." To prove his point he tapped the glass between them sharply; he didn't have to worry about the clamps coming undone since he didn't have anywhere near enough physical strength to trigger the sensors.

"I need those weapons Stark, no matter what you say."

"Then find someone else to make them for you, I won't get in the way. But I won't do it for you and no matter how long you try and keep me in here that isn't going to change. But then, you _know _that," he observed, smiling grimly. They were at something of an impasse: Tony wouldn't cave and Fury wasn't just going to give up.

The director said nothing else, just stared at the billionaire for a long moment before leaving without another word. Tony blinked at the empty space, somewhat surprised by the abrupt end to their conversation and despite himself he found that he missed the presence of the older man. Even Fury was better than the crushing loneliness he felt when he was trapped in there on his own.

It wasn't for another few hours that he was disturbed again. He had taken to passing the time by breathing on the glass and idly doodling on the resulting water residue. When Clint strode into the room followed by Natasha and Bruce he was just perfecting a doodle of Fury, complete with fairy wings and a little tiara; it said a lot for the tolerance of the rest of the team that none of the three visitors even commented.

"Thought I wasn't allowed more than one visitor at a time?" He asked, not looking up from his picture.

"Technically you're not allowed any visitors at all. The guards only let me through because they're completely terrified of me," Bruce told him, fiddling with the control panel on the other side of the room.

"You know, if you press the wrong button on that thing you'll kill me," Tony observed, not sounding particularly bothered by the idea.

"He knows what he's doing," Natasha defended quietly, shifting slightly as her hand drifted toward the ever-present gun strapped to her thigh. Stark wondered if she ever took the thing off - it would certainly make showers more interesting, now _there _was an idea... He shook his head viciously to stop his wandering thoughts.

"I have no doubt. May I ask though as to what you _are _doing?"

"Getting you off the helicarrier," Clint told him bluntly and Tony looked up at him for the first time in surprise, noticing the presence of his bow and the way he stood, as though ready to fight.

"Well that sounds like a terrible idea. You know that there are sixteen cameras in here right?"

"You counted?"

"I've had a lot of free time." Clint just shrugged in acknowledgement and let it go.

"We've put the cameras on a loop for now. It should keep security in the dark for a little longer," Natasha told him quickly, watching the door like a hawk.

"And how exactly do you propose to get me from here to... where are we going? I'm going to assume I can't just hop on a quinjet."

"We're going to the top deck. Thor said he'd give you a ride."

"Thor. That's your brilliant plan?" Tony would have laughed if he wasn't reeling over how stupid this idea was. "Have you seen the way he flies? I'll be torn to pieces!"

"He assures us that you'd be completely fine."

"Oh, well that makes everything better!"

"He's flown with Jane before." Tony just glared at Clint who snickered and turned to look at Bruce. "We almost done here? We don't have much longer." He'd barely gotten the words out before the door was pulling back and _damn _wasn't that the most glorious thing Tony had ever seen. As ridiculous as this whole plan was he'd be forever indebted to the team for springing him from the cage.

"Come on, we have to move," Natasha instructed, grabbing his arm and hauling him out the door into an eerily deserted corridor - Tony wasn't sure if he wanted to know where the guards had gone.

"So what? Now I'm a fugitive? For _S.H.I.E.L.D?_ Pepper's going to have my head," he lamented as he was dragged down various corridors, occasionally ducking into rooms and alcoves to remain hidden.

"This was Pepper's idea," Clint murmured softly behind him and Tony could hear the grin in his voice. Somewhere along the way Bruce had veered off with the intention of diverting as many agents as he could to give them time to get away, leaving the two assassins to 'guard' Stark. The billionaire didn't have a response to that so he fell silent, letting himself be lead about without complaint, still relishing in the joy of freedom, however short-lived it may turn out to be.

When they reached the door to the outer deck they were forced to stop while Natasha hacked her way through the locks that kept them closed while at the same time trying to avoid detection. Tony had to admit, she had a way with codes that he wouldn't have expected to see in someone like her; then again, he really shouldn't have been surprised that she still had secrets. No one could ever really _know _Natasha.

"Here's where we part ways. Thor will get you back to the tower and Pepper should be able to handle everything there. She can explain everything."

"Where are you guys going?" Tony might like people to believe that he was self centred and heartless - it was harder to hurt him that way - but the truth was something entirely different and he found himself worrying what was going to become of his friends. Going against Fury's direct orders was something to be discouraged.

"We're going to run interference for a while. Don't worry, we have it all planned out," Clint smiled with a confidence that didn't fit the situation and Tony scowled at him.

"Because our plans always work out so well," he muttered sarcastically but waved away the inevitable response. "Whatever. Go. And watch out for yourselves." They nodded at him, offering him quick smiles before darting away into the shadows of the ship.

Steeling his nerves, Tony took a deep breath and stepped out of the interior of the ship onto the freezing deck. The icy wind whipped at him but he pushed forwards, heading in the direction Clint had pointed him, struggling to see through the thin wisps of cloud that hung in the air. It was a good minute or so of struggling through the raging wind before he saw the flickering red of Thor's cape and made towards it. The demi-god met him half way and without a word wrapped an arm around his torso, already twirling Mjölnir in his free hand.

The flight was short but for Tony it felt like hours. They moved so quickly he could barely draw breath and the iron arm around his ribs didn't help one bit. The cold was all consuming and he could feel nausea building up in his gut that he tried desperately to quell - thank god he hadn't eaten today.

When they reached the top of Stark Tower, Tony had never felt more relieved in his whole life.

"Thor buddy, please don't ever, _ever _do that again." The god chuckled with good humour, apparently deciding to take the warning as a joke; the billionaire was too busy trying not to throw up to correct him.

"_Tony!_" Pepper's shout was enough to revive him somewhat and he looked up in time to catch the red head as she threw herself at him, folding into his larger frame with practiced ease. Her face tucked into his neck and he breathed in the scent of her hair, blissfully happy to have her back in his arms - there was nowhere on Earth that held greater comfort for him than right there.

"I missed you too Pep," he told her, the words tickling her ear softly.

"Come on, get inside. You're freezing." She pulled away, switching from beloved girlfriend to responsible secretary in an instant as she ushered them both into the inviting warmth of the building.

Collapsing onto his couch he tucked Pepper into his side, unwilling to let her wander away again.

"So, are you going to tell me what's going on?" The red head looked at him like he was dense.

"We're getting you away from Fury," she told him like it was the most logical thing in the world.

"I can see that. What I meant was how on Earth do you intend to stop him from marching down here and just arresting me again?"

"I think you're forgetting who you are Tony," she chided gently but she was smiling and warm and oh so beautiful. "You're one of the most prominent people in America remember? You fell off the map for a few days already rumours are circulating; it's publicity that S.H.I.E.L.D. could do without. Fury isn't going to touch you again for a while."

Thinking about it, it did make sense. He had just vanished, immediately after an attack from an unknown alien race no less, the media must have been having a field day.

"You organised all of this?" He asked her softly. She nodded with a self assured smile.

"Not bad, huh?" He didn't really know what to say to that so he just leaned in and kissed her, pulling her closer to him. Thor had made himself scarce, wandering off to a different part of the tower to leave the two of them to their happy reunion; Tony couldn't be more grateful for that. "Welcome home Tony."

With that she leaned in again and kissed him, hands moving from his chest to his hair and tangling in the dark strands. Reason and sanity fled, need and want jumping in to fill the breach and everything was lost in a swirl of joyful abandon. For now, they had nothing to fear.

* * *

_Yay, crappy ending to a less than perfect chapter. But it is still a chapter. Which is better than the past month or so right?_

_I hope you enjoyed it, I know it was mostly just a filler but I feel this story is straying away from where I want it to be - focussing on the friendships within the team - so I'm having to bend it a little. Sorry about that. _

_Until next time xx_


End file.
